Huge crane deployed to clear debris from Baltimore bridge as crews assess damage

The largest operational crane on the US East Coast rose above Baltimore Harbor on Friday, ready to begin clearing debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, days after a cargo ship crashed into it, causing the span to fall into port.

Crews were still investigating the damage as of noon Friday. The crane, which can lift up to 1,000 tons, arrived late Thursday night and will likely begin pulling debris from the water Saturday morning, according to US Coast Guard spokeswoman Carmen Carver.

A second crane is on its way and is expected to arrive soon to aid the effort, he said.

State and federal authorities are focused on cleaning up the busy port and rebuilding the bridge after the Dali, a massive container ship that had lost power, crashed into a support column early Tuesday, collapsing the structure and leaving six workers presumed dead .

Divers recovered two bodies of the missing construction workers, who were repairing the bridge at the time of the collision. The remaining four are believed to be trapped underwater. All were immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

Finding the remaining bodies is the top priority, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference Thursday. Crews must also assess how to remove the stuck vessel, which is loaded with thousands of containers and trapped by bridge debris.

“The Dali is almost the size of the Eiffel Tower, and the Dali has the key bridge on top of it. We’re talking about 3,000 or 4,000 tons of steel on top of that ship, so we’ve got work to do,” Moore said at the news conference. of Thursday.

Within hours of Moore’s request for emergency funds, the U.S. government on Thursday gave Maryland $60 million to clear the debris and begin rebuilding the bridge, a reflection of how critical the infrastructure is to shipping. and the transport industries along the Eastern Sea.

Three days after the tragedy, the jobs of some 15,000 people whose work revolves around the daily operation of the port are on hold. Maryland lawmakers are trying to pass emergency legislation to provide income replacement for those affected, the president of the state Senate said this week.

The situation poses a temporary risk to the region’s economy, as the port receives the largest share of U.S. auto imports and is one of only four on the U.S. East Coast with the 50-foot channel required for larger cargo vessels, the ratings agency bonds Moody’s Investors Service said.

Replacing the 47-year-old bridge will likely require “years of work,” but the port, whose operations recently surpassed pre-pandemic levels, could reopen within weeks “if the debris is removed quickly,” according to a report by Moody’s.

“As long as the port is closed, the diversion of auto imports and other cargo to other East Coast ports will erode Baltimore’s advantage as the port closest to the Midwest, to the detriment of terminal operators,” the report said.