Crews in Baltimore are planning to use precision explosive charges to release the Dali containership from behind the ruins of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.
The New York Post reported that the Unified Command’s Petty Officer, Ronald Hodges, said the explosion would detach a big portion of the bridge’s truss now sitting on the ship’s deck.
According to NBC News, officials believe the ship’s crew may remain on board and shelter in a place when the explosives are detonated.
NBC News also noted that authorities chose this method of detaching the bridge damage from the Dali based on crew safety and speed.
Hodges stated: “It’s the safest means for the crew members who are actually working on removing that span. On top of the fact that it’s a lot faster of a method.”
Maryland Gov., Wes Moore, said: “We knew that in order to safely remove the Dali, it was going to require precision cutting to be able to do it. Right now, the Dali still has anywhere from 3 to 4,000 tonnes of steel that’s sitting on top of it.”
In April, the Port of Baltimore opened a third temporary channel for vessels to access the port whilst workers continue to remove debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge.