BALTIMORE, MD — The first cargo ship entered Baltimore Harbor via a new 35-foot channel on Sunday, a month after the collapse of the Key Bridge, https://twitter.com/portofbalt/status/1784953480295206913/photo/1 officials said on social media.
The MSC Cargo Passion III made it through the temporary channel carrying about 1,000 containers to the Seagirt Terminal.
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“Another milestone today!” the https://twitter.com/portofbalt/status/1784953480295206913/photo/1 said on social media.
The channel was closed at 6 am Monday and expected to reopen about May 10 as work continues to remove wreckage of the Key Bridge from the main channel. The bridge collapsed March 26 when the massive container ship Dali lost power and slammed into one of the bridge’s support columns.
The collision sent a span of the bridge plummeting into the frigid Patapsco River, blocking access to the harbor and halting most maritime traffic through the city’s port.
A road crew was on the bridge patching potholes on I-695 overnight when the collision happened. Four workers were killed and another two are presumed dead, their bodies trapped in the underwater wreckage.
The US Army Corps of Engineers says it plans to have the main 700-foot wide and 50-foot deep channel cleared and reopened for shipping traffic by the end of May.
This fourth channel was opened to allow several ships stuck in the Port of Baltimore to get out.
“We continue to deeply appreciate everyone’s patience as we work through this unimaginable situation,” port officials said. “We remind everyone to keep their thoughts on the families who have suffered unreplaceable losses.”
The first cargo ship departed through the deep water channel on Thursday after spending a month stuck in Baltimore Harbor. The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under the Panama flag, passed through the new 35-foot channel headed for St. John, Canada, guided by two tug boats as it made it out of the harbor the Associated Press reported.
The ship was one of five stranded vessels expected to pass through the channel.
State transportation officials said a public forum will be held on May 7 to discuss the rebuilding of the Key Bridge.
“Rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge and reconnecting the I-695 Baltimore Beltway as expeditiously and safely as possible remains a top priority for MDTA,” agency Executive Director Bruce Gartner said in a statement. “The anticipated contracting process is a significant opportunity for the consulting and construction community in Maryland to bring their skills to the table of this important project.”
Registration for the forum is open to industry professionals at KeyBridgeRebuild.com.
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