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Ship that destroyed Baltimore bridge has finally docked

The entire refloat and transit process took almost a full day.
Maryland Bridge Collapse
Posted at 9:05 AM, May 20, 2024

The cargo ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was refloated and returned to the port on Monday.

The refloat process for the Dali began midday Sunday before plans to move it from the crash site on Monday could commence.

Five tugboats escorted the 100,000-ton ship 2.5 miles to the local marine terminal.

The entire refloat and transit process took about a full day.

Now that it's docked, officials plan to unload the ship containers and complete short-term repairs.

But freeing the ship does not mean freeing its crew members.

Crew members had been stuck aboard the Dali since it collided with the Baltimore bridge on March 26. That’s because of maritime regulations that require a cargo ship of this nature to have a crew aboard at all times. There are also issues with the crew's visas.

The ship’s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge two months ago led to the complete collapse of the structure, sending it plummeting into the water below. Six roadway crew members working on the bridge plunged to their deaths in the incident.

Removal of debris from the waterway began shortly after the crash, which also helped recover the bodies of the construction workers. The ship, however, has remained in place until now.