Unified Command Prepares for Removal of Bridge Piece on Top of Dali

May 5, 2024

(Key Bridge Unified Command Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Visual Information Specialist Christopher Rosario)

Key Bridge Unified command salvors have begun preparing for the removal of bridge section four, which lies across the bow of the M/V Dali.

The operation requires careful handling of roadbed material, crushed containers and bridge fragments currently resting on the M/V Dali’s bow.

The salvage teams are preparing for the refloat of the Dali, ensuring all aspects of the wreckage impacts are thoroughly evaluated and addressed. "The complexities of this next phase of operations require thorough preparation, strategic planning, and specialized expertise," said Capt. David O’Connell, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Key Bridge Unified Command. "We have the right team making this work happen in the safest and most efficient way possible.”

Specialized equipment has been employed to closely monitor the positioning and movement of the Dali and the bridge wreckage in contact with it.Teams have strategically removed 182 containers from the Dali to facilitate the removal of the piece of steel structure, referred to as “section four.”

The Singaporean-flagged container vessel Dali allided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The bridge, which connects Hawkins Point and Dundalk, Maryland, collapsed into the lower Patapsco River, bringing all maritime traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore to a standstill.

Eight road crew workers, who were on break from repairing potholes, were present on the bridge when it collapsed. Two workers were rescued, five missing persons have been recovered, leaving one still unaccounted for.

The Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command includes the: U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland State Police and Witt O’Brien’s representing Synergy Marine.

An aerial image of the Unified Command response operations in Baltimore, Maryland on April 22, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Rivera)