Ships escape Baltimore port after bridge collapse

Trapped vessels have started to escape Baltimore port following last week’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

A channel has been opened on the northbound side of the fallen crossing.

That’s allowing limited marine traffic to pass through.

The first vessel was a tug pushing a barge full of jet fuel for the Department of Defense.

However, much of the channel remains blocked by wreckage and the giant container ship Dali, which struck the bridge and brought it down.

That means it could be a long time before commercial shipping can get back to normal at the port - a key gateway for exports of farm goods and other products.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore says no effort will be spared to restore the crossing and restart cargo movements:

“We cannot rebuild the bridge until we clear the wreckage. But I'm telling you, we are going to get this done. We will clear the channel. We will move the Dali. We will rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Efforts are under way to remove the wreckage, but it’s no easy task.

Officials say it’s so tangled that it’s hard to know where to cut.

Recovery workers needed 10 hours to free and remove one 200-ton piece of debris.

And they described that as a “relatively small lift”.

The Coast Guard says the situation is even worse underwater, where visibility is limited by the sheer volume of debris.

That all leaves officials unwilling to estimate how long the clear-up could take.

On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden will get a first-hand look at the problem when he visits the area.

The administration is working with Congress to ensure that the federal government pays to rebuild the bridge.

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/ships-escape-baltimore-port-bridge-052328064.html