WASHINGTON: The hull of the Dali freighter was damaged but remained intact after the ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Ba...
WASHINGTON: The hull of the Dali freighter was damaged but remained intact after the ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, which collapsed as a result, State Governor Wes Moore told a press conference on Saturday.
He explained that sea cranes are used to clear the rubble at the site of the bridge collapse, while underwater work is currently difficult due to unfavorable weather conditions, as well as a large amount of debris. Rescue divers will continue to work "as soon as those conditions change."
"With a salvage operation that is this complex and this unprecedented you need to be able to plan for every single moment and this work is going to take time and we're going to continually assess and reassess this situation," he said.
"This morning the Unified Command assured me that the hull of the Dali is damaged but intact," Moore added.
He also explained that first of all, the authorities plan to dismantle the northern part of the bridge, which will open a temporary route for the passage of ships to the crash site. In total, according to the state governor, 377 people were involved in clearing the rubble.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden said he would visit Baltimore next week. Earlier, the US administration allocated $60 million for initial costs associated with repairing the collapsed bridge. As the Punchbowl News portal reported, in total, the work to repair the bridge could cost the authorities several billion dollars. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttegieg noted that losses from the suspension of the port in Baltimore due to the bridge collapse range from $100 million to $200 million per day.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed on March 25 after it was hit by the Dali freighter travelling under the flag of Singapore. Video footage of the collapse disseminated on social media. After the impact, the bridge spans started to crumble, and the several cars that were on them fell into the water. Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency over the incident.
According to the US Department of Transportation, six people died as a result of the bridge collapse. As noted by the head of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, determining the causes for the malfunction of the cargo ship and its collision with the bridge support could take from one to two years.
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