Port of Baltimore could reopen in May, expert says

Demolition workers could open a channel for ships to enter and leave the Port of Baltimore within a month, once the necessary equipment arrives at the site, according to an expert in the field familiar with the ongoing discussions.

The expert, who spoke to the CNN on condition of anonymity, said it will likely take longer than that to remove all the debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which fell into the Patapsco River after one of the pillars supporting the bridge was struck by the Dali container ship on Tuesday morning. fair (26).

However, the expert said that clearing the 366-meter area between the two pillars that supported the bridge's main span will be enough to reopen the port to traffic. This is because large cargo and passenger ships arriving at the port need to remain in a channel where Pataspco has the necessary depth of 15 meters. This channel is in the middle of that 366 meter span.

A heavy crane arrived at the site at the Port of Baltimore on Thursday, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez said in an interview with MSNBC. But other equipment will also be needed there, and contracts will need to be signed before demolition work can begin.

The first work at the site will be to remove the remains of the bridge that fell onto the bow of the ship and then remove the ship itself, according to the expert who spoke to the CNN . He said removing the ship without sinking could be difficult in itself because its bow was impaled when it hit the support column.

The expert said pipes near the bridge could make removing debris from the bridge more challenging.

A large water and natural gas pipeline crosses the river bottom near where the bridge once stood. The two pipes run beneath power lines that run parallel to where the bridge once stood, about 200 feet from the old bridge deck.

The timing of the canal's reopening will depend on a number of factors that experts don't yet know because they are still examining the site. It will depend on the experience of the companies brought in to carry out the demolition.

According to the Maryland state government, the port directly employs more than 15,300 people and nearly 140,000 jobs in related services. These are land-based jobs, and do not include crews on the various ships that call at the port. It is the country's largest destination for ocean shipments of cars and trucks and the 9th largest cargo port in the United States.

But no ships can call at the port until the canal is reopened. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday (26) that reopening the port is a priority.

“We’re going to do everything we can to protect these jobs and help these workers,” he said.

There is also a problem of loss of income for ships stuck in port that cannot leave.

The ships remaining at the port are three bulk carriers, a vehicle carrier, two general cargo ships, a petroleum/chemical tanker and three naval logistics ships, according to a count from the Port of Baltimore.