With the container ship Dali cleared from the wreckage for the first time in eight weeks, Governor Wes Moore on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Unified Command and other officials for their swift and decisive response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. However, he emphasized that the mission is far from over.
“I will not be satisfied until I can look over this same site and see the Francis Scott Key Bridge standing again. That’s mission completion,” Moore stated.
Salvage crews began moving the Dali from the bridge wreckage over the weekend. The massive container ship docked at the Port of Baltimore on Monday, nearly two months after departing from the Seagirt Marine Terminal bound for Sri Lanka. The voyage was abruptly cut short when the ship lost power and struck one of the bridge’s support piers, causing the structure to collapse within seconds.
Governor Moore, accompanied by two tugboat captains from McAllister Towing and Moran Towing who helped guide the Dali back to port, praised them along with the Unified Command, state and federal officials, and the broader community for their “unprecedented response” to the disaster.
The removal of the Dali from the wreckage marks a significant step toward restoring full operations at the Port of Baltimore, one of Maryland’s largest economic drivers.
Since March 26, over 500 commercial vessels have used temporary channels opened around the wreckage to access the port, according to U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath of the Unified Command. The main 50-foot-deep federal shipping channel will reopen to 24/7 ship traffic later today, albeit at just over half of its original width.
Admiral Gilreath stated that the channel would be fully restored to its 700-foot width by the end of May, after which salvage crews will focus on removing steel outside the federal channel, with hopes of completing this by June.
Governor Moore described the removal of the “vessel that was omnipresent,” which caused the collapse of an iconic piece of Baltimore’s infrastructure and became a fixture itself, in eight weeks as a monumental achievement.
Moore highlighted four key accomplishments since the bridge collapse: the Unified Command recovered the bodies of six construction workers who were repairing potholes when the Dali struck, returning them to their families; more than 10,000 tons of mangled steel were removed, and the ship was refloated with no major injuries; state lawmakers passed bipartisan legislation to support port workers; and officials in Washington laid the groundwork to ensure the federal government covers the full cost of replacing the bridge.
“These achievements are not preordained,” Moore said. “Change does not just happen, change is made to happen. And this team made it happen.”
Moore emphasized that support for the families of the six victims will continue, with roughly 20 people from different agencies working with them to address their needs.
The biggest challenge ahead is rebuilding the bridge, which state officials estimate could take around four years and nearly $2 billion. Moore acknowledged that the timeline is “aggressive,” but assured that his administration plans to meet it.
Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen have been advocating for a 100% federal funding commitment for the rebuild. Moore emphasized that this would expedite the process and ensure that taxpayers are “made whole” by recouping the costs.
“We’ve said from the very start that those who need to be held accountable for what happened on March 26 need to be held accountable in every way, shape, and form,” Moore stated. Lawsuits over liability for the disaster are expected to drag on for years, and previous bridge disasters suggest that repaying the government for fronted costs could be a significant challenge.
Both the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the wreck. The NTSB released a preliminary report last week, indicating two separate “mechanically distinct” power outages under investigation. Moore called the findings “troubling.”
The status of the FBI’s criminal probe remains unclear.
A spokesperson for Synergy Marine, the company managing the Dali and its crew for its owner, stated on Monday that the crew will remain onboard for the “foreseeable future” while investigations continue. However, on Tuesday morning, Moore mentioned that the crew would eventually be allowed time off the ship.
