Baltimore salvage crews will detonate explosives to free cargo ship Dali from the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to a report.
The explosion will separate a massive chunk of the bridge’s truss that’s currently lying on the bough of the ship, Unified Command’s Petty Officer Ronald Hodges told WBAL-TV.
Officials determined that Dali’s crew — who have been living on the ship since the wreck — can remain safely on board and will not have to be evacuated during the blast.
Hodges could not say exactly where on the ship the crew will hunker down.
“What they’re doing are best practices and historic best practices, and the way that you remove large amounts of steel,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters on Tuesday.
“We know that as soon as that operation, that precision cutting is done, then we also have the tools to be able to remove that steel from the water, to safely refloat the Dali, and to reopen up the federal channel.”
It will take several days to place the precision explosives on the truss, sources told WBAL-TV. Weather and tides can also impact the timing.
Hodges said the media will be alerted 48 hours before the explosion.
Unified Command has been using a giant hydraulic claw and precision-cutting tools to clear as much of the wreckage as possible.
The Dali smashed into one of the main supports of the nearly 50-year-old bridge around 1:30 a.m. on March 30, killing six construction workers and blocking vital shipping traffic into the Port of Baltimore.
The sixth victim’s body was finally recovered on Tuesday, officials announced.
The body of 37-year-old Baltimore resident José Mynor López, was located by Unified Command salvage teams, who then contacted Maryland State Police and the FBI.
“With heavy hearts, today marks a significant milestone in our recovery efforts and providing closure to the loved ones of the six workers who lost their lives in this tragic event,” said Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police.
“As we mourn with the families, we honor the memory of José Mynor López, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, and Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez,” he added.
Baltimore officials said last week they have targeted May 10 as the date to remove the truss, refloat the Dali and open a 45-foot deep channel to ship traffic.
A permanent 700-foot wide, 50-foot deep channel would be open by the end of May, officials added.
