Baltimore Shipping Lane reopens 2 months after bridge collapse

At the time of the accident, the 106,000 ton ship was on its way to Sri Lanka.

Washington:

Baltimore’s shipping lane was closed for more than two months after a cargo ship collided with a major bridge in March, causing it to collapse into the water, but it was fully reopened on Monday, authorities said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with Navy salvage divers, restored the canal to its original size by removing about 50,000 tons of debris from the Patapsco River, the Key Bridge Response Unified Command said in a statement.

The riverbed was certified safe for passage on Monday.

“We are proud of the collaborative efforts that have fully reopened the Federal Channel for port operations,” said Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers.

“The partnerships that endured throughout this response made this critical mission successful.”

On March 26, the Singapore-flagged vessel M/V Dali lost power and struck a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse and killing six road workers who had been repairing potholes overnight.

At the time of the accident, the 106,000 ton ship was on its way to Sri Lanka.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the incident together with the FBI, said that there were two power outages on the ship immediately before the disaster.

The Dali was refloated last month and towed back to port.

The Port of Baltimore is one of America’s busiest ports and a major hub for the automotive industry. Last year, the port handled nearly 850,000 cars and light trucks, more than any other U.S. port, according to state data.

With the full reopening of the shipping canal, two-lane traffic will be possible, the statement said on Monday.

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