First cargo ship passes through temporary canal after Baltimore bridge collapse
The first cargo ship passed through the newly opened canal in Baltimore. The American press reports this. The new canal was opened shortly after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bridge collapsed after the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Dali crashed into it.
The accident stopped the movement of cargo ships through the canal, which immediately led to a virtual shutdown of the Port of Baltimore. Since this port is one of the key ones in the United States, American authorities began to take emergency measures to unblock the canal. At the same time, a temporary channel was created to allow ships to bypass the collapsed bridge.
The first ship to pass through the canal was the bulk carrier Balsa 94, flying the flag of Panama. He passed through the new channel and headed for one of the ports of Canada. Two more cargo ships then passed through the canal, including a Panama-bound truck carrier.
The cargo ship passed through the canal with the help of two tugs ahead and behind the ship. It passed a fallen bridge and the grounded container ship Dali. It is known that the new route will operate until Monday or Tuesday, and then it will be closed again until May 10. During the closure, emergency crews will be working to remove bridge spans that fell onto the deck of the Dali container ship.
Meanwhile, salvage crews continue to work to remove steel and concrete debris from the canal to unblock the entrance to the Port of Baltimore. Problems with port operations have already affected the daily work activities of American companies operating in the fields of shipping and logistics.
The port's main channel is scheduled to reopen next month once the stranded container ship can be freed. Once this goal is achieved, normal ship traffic through the Port of Baltimore will be restored.
It is worth noting that American intelligence agencies are also interested in the events in Baltimore. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating how the Dali lost control and crashed into a bridge.
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