Francis Scott Key Bridge Blown Up To Ease Sunken Ship’s Release From Port Of Baltimore

(NewsSpace.com) – On March 26, just days after its 47th anniversary, a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending it collapsing into the Patapsco River. While officials were able to stop traffic in the nick of time, six of the eight road workers on the structure died. While salvage crews have been helping to clean up the debris, the Dali remained trapped beneath a steel truss. Workers recently used explosives to break it free.

On Monday, May 13, crews carefully placed explosives on the truss laying across the ship’s bow, trapping it in the river. A video posted on X, formerly Twitter, shows the moment they detonated, removing a large part of the bridge’s remains.

EXPLOSION! Here's video of when workers set off explosives to help free the Dali from wreckage of the Key Bridge near Baltimore. #crazyvideo @7NewsDC pic.twitter.com/N0iQAGHXFm

— Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) May 13, 2024

It’s not yet clear if the ship has been completely freed, but the hope is that they will get it refloated this week. That will lead to officials opening the port back up to traffic, giving local businesses and dock workers some financial relief. They’ve been stalled since the accident nearly two months ago.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report on the crash. It was noted that the US Coast Guard classified the accident as a “major marine casualty.” However, the report also revealed that prior to the Dali hitting one of the bridge’s support beams, it was having issues with its power.

On March 25, the cargo ship had a complete loss of power while it was undergoing maintenance in port when “a crewmember mistakenly closed an inline engine exhaust damper.” That caused the engine to stall. Shortly after, another blackout occurred due to “insufficient fuel pressure for the online generator.” The crew had to reconfigure the ship’s electrical system that day.

The NTSB isn’t clear how these blackouts relate to the one that occurred the day of the accident, but is continuing to investigate along with the FBI.