The containership ‘Dali’, which collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge leading to its collapse, has finally been refloated in the past week, almost two months after the tragic incident.
Five tugboats led the Dali approximately 2.5 miles to a nearby terminal, where it will remain for 4/5 weeks before travelling to the port of Norfolk for repair. The vessel was carrying 56 containers of dangerous goods – corrosives, lithium batteries and flammable materials – which were breached during the accident.
As the damaged ship was moved, debris and parts of roadway were still visible on its deck from the when the vessel veered into the bridge on 26th March.
With the vessel now cleared from the area, containerships are able to use a 400ft wide shipping channel to enter and exit Baltimore, but work will continue until the channel is restored to its usual width of 700ft.
The City of Baltimore has sued the shipowner of the Dali container ship, saying it had ‘an incompetent crew’ and ignored warnings. The city says the collapse was caused by the owner’s “carelessness, gross negligence and recklessness, and as a result of the unseaworthiness” of the ship.
