Dali Leaves Baltimore, Bay Bridge Closes During Voyage To VA

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Dali cargo ship, which toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, left the Port of Baltimore on Monday. The vessel will head to Norfolk, Virginia, for repairs.

The ship passed underneath the Chesapeake Bay Bridge during transit. The bridge closed temporarily Monday morning to let the ship pass underneath. It has since reopened safely

"In consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard and out of an abundance of caution, the Maryland Transportation Authority is holding traffic temporarily at the Bay Bridge for approximately 15-30 minutes today between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon," the Maryland Transportation Authority said in a Monday press release. "Thanks for your cooperation."

Bay Bridge drivers can call 1-877-BAYSPAN (1-877-229-7726) or follow the MDTA's Twitter for traffic updates.

Four tug boats will accompany the Dali on its journey. The salvage vessel Interceptor from Resolve Marine will follow closely behind.

The Dali will sail under its own power.

The U.S. Coast Guard will establish a 500-yard safety zone around the Dali during transit. The Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish, an 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boat homeported in Virginia Beach, will provide security.

The voyage was originally scheduled for last Friday, WJZ reported.

WJZ said 10 of the Dali's crew members were recently cleared to leave the U.S. WJZ reported that the remaining 11 crewmates, who are officers and higher-ranking members, will stay in Baltimore temporarily during ongoing litigation surrounding the Dali wreck and the Key Bridge collapse, WJZ reported.

The crew is from India and Sri Lanka.

Read all of Patch's Key Bridge collapse coverage here.

The 984-foot container ship Dali lost power and crashed into the Key Bridge on March 26, killing six road workers and costing over 1,100 port jobs.

Crews started removing bridge debris on March 30. They had to pull about 50,000 tons of bridge wreckage from the Patapsco River.

At its height, the operation required 1,587 workers from 56 federal, state and local agencies.

Roughly 500 specialists from around the world operated a fleet of 18 barges, 22 tugboats, 13 floating cranes, 10 excavators and four survey boats.

The first of three temporary alternate channels for shallow-draft vessels opened on April 2. Containers were removed from the Dali starting on April 7. A 300-foot-wide, 35-foot-deep limited access channel opened on April 25.

Recreational boats were allowed to return on May 9.

On May 13, controlled explosives freed the Dali from a 10-million-pound Key Bridge segment atop its bow.

All ships have been able to return to the port using a 400-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel since May 20. That's when crews refloated and relocated the Dali after it was grounded for 55 days.

Crews on June 4 removed the last large hunk of bridge wreckage blocking the Patapsco River. They later conducted surveys and recovered smaller debris before reopening the full channel on June 10.

The May 20 partial channel reopening beat the state's initial target of May 31, but the June 10 full reopening missed that goal slightly.

Commerce leaders think port traffic will rebound quickly, but they warned that the trucking industry will suffer until the bridge is rebuilt.

Officials estimated that the new crossing will open by fall 2028 and cost up to $1.9 billion. President Joe Biden (D) promised that the federal government would pay for the entire project.

The Maryland Transportation Authority announced on May 31 that it's now accepting contractor proposals for the bridge rebuild. Proposals are due Monday. The project team will be selected by late summer.

Related:

• Baltimore Channel Reopens Fully 11 Weeks After Ship Topples Key Bridge
• Port Of Baltimore Back To Full Force, MD Truckers Still Struggling
• 'You're Alive': Baker Among Last Drivers On Key Bridge Before Collapse
• Biden Views Key Bridge Collapse: 'Your Nation Has Your Back'
• Jobs In Limbo, Supply Chain Resilient After Baltimore Bridge Collapse
• 'I Didn't Think It Was Real': Residents React To Key Bridge Collapse