Port of Baltimore to open deeper channel, allowing some ships to pass after bridge collapse

BALTIMORE– Officials in Baltimore plan to open a deeper channel for commercial ships to access the city’s port starting Thursday, marking a significant step toward reopening a major shipping hub that has remained closed to most traffic since the Francis Bridge Scott Key collapsed last month.

The new channel will have a controlled depth of 35 feet (10.7 meters), which represents a substantial increase over the other three temporary channels established in recent weeks. This puts the cleanup effort a little ahead of schedule, as officials previously said they hoped to open a canal that deep by the end of April.

The cargo ship that collapsed the Key Bridge lost power and went off course shortly after leaving Baltimore Harbor bound for Sri Lanka. The Dali remains stranded amid the wreckage as crews work to remove huge pieces of mangled steel that fell onto the ship’s deck.

Authorities said crews removed enough debris to open the new canal to “commercially essential vessels” from Thursday until the following Monday or Tuesday. The ships must have a Maryland pilot on board and two tugboats escorting them through the canal.

Starting early next week, the canal will be closed again until approximately May 10 to accommodate “critical and highly dynamic salvage operations,” port officials said in a press release Monday.

The port’s main channel, with a controlled depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet), is expected to reopen next month. This will essentially restore shipping traffic to normal.

In a court filing Monday, Baltimore’s mayor and city council called for the Dali’s owner and operator to be held fully accountable for the bridge’s collapse, which they say could have devastating economic impacts on the region. They said the port, which was established before the nation’s founding, has long been an economic engine for Baltimore and the surrounding area. The loss of the bridge disrupted a major east coast road transportation route.

The request came in response to an earlier petition on behalf of the two companies, asking a court to limit their liability under a pre-Civil War provision of an 1851 maritime law – a routine procedure for such cases. A federal court in Maryland will decide who is responsible and how much they owe.