BALTIMORE, Md. (7News) — Nearly eight weeks after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, the container ship that caused the deadly wreck was finally moved.
High tide was just before 5:30 in the morning -- that's when crews in Baltimore worked to refloat the M/V DALI cargo ship with the help of tugboats to move it to the Baltimore marine terminal.
SkyTrak7 was live over the scene. You can watch it below:
A 500-foot section of the bridge was removed, clearing the way for Monday’s massive operation. The 984-foot ship became buoyant roughly at 6:40 a.m.
The ship docked at around 9:30 a.m., with SkyTrak7 capturing the moment crews tied ropes to secure the boat to land.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore also arrived at Unified Command to view the refloating of the ship. He is expected to hold a 2:30 p.m. press conference regarding updates on the efforts underway.
READ | Unified Command to refloat M/V Dali for relocation amid bridge recovery efforts
Engineers are confident the 106,000-ton ship is ready to be moved days after a series of controlled explosions broke apart a massive piece of the Key Bridge weighing eight to 12 million pounds.
The DALI crew which has been onboard the whole time, started prepping the ship about 18 hours ago, removing and securing all obstructions, pumping water out, and releasing the mooring lines. Eventually, up to five tugboats are expected to tow and push the DALI about two and a half miles.
READ | Controlled explosives to aid in removal of Key Bridge wreckage from Patapsco River
Even after the ship is moved, the crew might be stuck in Baltimore for a little while longer. Visas have expired and the union is waiting for direction from immigration authorities to figure out how to proceed.
The FBI confiscated all cell phones inside the DALI back in early April, as part of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, Gov. Moore said he expects to have the channel fully reopened by the end of the month.
Here is the expected timeline:
- Remove & secure all obstructions
- Pump water out of ballasts and void
- Release of mooring lines
- Secure M/V Dali with tugboats
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