VIDEO: Key Bridge Salvors Are Tackling a Challenge of Epic Scale

Written by Nick Blenkey, Senior Editorial Consultant and Web Editor, Marine Log

[Photo by Christopher Rosario U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District]

New video and imagery released by the unified command show the scale of the challenge that the Key Bridge salvors face. In the current phase if the operation, salvage crews have been continuing to prepare for the complex task of removing the large piece of the Key Bridge that is pinning down the M/V Dali, the giant containership whose strike on the bridge initiated its collapse.

Prior to removing the bridge piece, Key Bridge salvage teams must meticulously analyze and factor in numerous hazards and obstacles confronting them. Crushed containers, hull damage, and weight shifts are among the critical considerations crews must address during the bridge removal and subsequent refloating of the ship.

The safety of the salvage crew members remains a top priority during the complex operations.

Specialized equipment has been employed to closely monitor the positioning and movement of the DALI and the bridge wreckage in contact with it.

“We’ve got a total of six of, what we call, inclinometers that measure tilt on key locations of the span and key locations of the ship so we can watch how it’s pitching and rolling with tide, and wind,” said Rob Ruthledge, a contractor working for the Key Bridge Unified Command. “We have a sensor measuring the relative position of the span on the ship so we can see, if for some reason, it starts to slip. We also have what are called string gauges, which can measure, in real-time, the stress, while they are performing operations.”

Key Bridge salvage crews have also been working to remove the portions of bridge span 17 that are in contact with the opposite side of the Dali.

The Key Bridge Unified Command says that it remains committed to restoring full access to the Fort McHenry Channel as swiftly and safely as possible. That temporary channel, which allows deeper draft vessels access to the Port of Baltimore, is expected to reopen on or about May 10, according to the most recent MSIB.

More imagery is available HERE.