Dali Container Ship Finally Returns to Port of Baltimore

Dali, the containership responsible for the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on March 26, returned to the port of Baltimore on Monday. The ship was refloated and moved slowly into port, arriving at 9am.

The vessel will undergo temporary repairs for several weeks at the same marine terminal it occupied before its ill-fated voyage. After these repairs, it will move to a shipyard in Norfolk for extensive repairs.

Authorities in Baltimore expect the operational width of the main shipping channel into the US east coast port to soon be 122 meters wide to a depth of 15.24 meters.

“This marks the resumption of commercial vessel transits in and out of the Port of Baltimore,” said the Unified Command overseeing salvage operations yesterday. “This truly signifies the next chapter in restoring the waterway commerce in this region, which also serves as the economic engine for thousands of workers and their families who depend on commerce traveling through the Port of Baltimore.”

The crew onboard the Dali have not been able to leave the ship in nearly two months since the accident, even being forced to stay onboard while explosives were launched last week to remove part of the bridge lodged on the bow of the ship.

The vessel’s manager, Synergy Marine Group, provided an update on the state of the crew on Friday, claiming all crew members were in good health and were “holding up well.”

“We hope that, soon after the Dali is secure at a berth, the authorities will allow [the crew] to disembark so we can arrange to get them home,” Synergy stated in a release.