Dali crew will stay on board during controlled demolition to remove fallen bridge from ship's deck

The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge lays on top of the container ship Dali, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

BALTIMORE (AP) — The crew of the Dali will remain on board the grounded container ship while demolition crews use explosives to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, officials said Tuesday.

The steel span landed on the ship’s bow after the Dali lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s support columns on March 26. Since then, the ship has been stuck amid the wreckage, and Baltimore’s busy port has been closed to most maritime traffic.

The controlled demolition, which is expected to take place in the coming days, will allow the Dali to be refloated and guided back into the Port of Baltimore, officials say. Once the ship is removed, maritime traffic can begin returning to normal, which will provide relief for thousands of longshoremen, truckers and small business owners have seen their jobs impacted by the closure.

The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge lays on top of the container ship Dali, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Officials previously said they hoped to remove the Dali by May 10 and reopen the port’s 50-foot (15.2-meter) main channel by the end of May.

The Dali’s 21-member crew will shelter in place aboard the ship while the explosives are detonated, said Petty Officer Ronald Hodges of the Coast Guard.

Engineers have been working for weeks to determine the best way to remove this last major piece of the fallen bridge. The explosives will send it tumbling into the water. Then a massive hydraulic grabber will lift the resulting sections of steel onto barges.

A vessel, left, moves past the stranded container ship Dali, through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Video footage released by Coast Guard officials last week showed entire sections of roadway sitting on the ship’s deck.

Hodges said the crew’s safety was a top concern as officials considered whether they should remain on the ship during the demolition. He said engineers are using precision cuts to control how the trusses break down.

“The last thing anybody wants is for something to happen to the crew members,” Hodges said.

They haven’t been allowed to leave the Dali since the disaster. Officials said they’ve been busy maintaining the ship and assisting investigators. Of the crew members, 20 are from India and one is Sri Lankan.

A spokesperson for the crew didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI are conducting investigations into the bridge collapse.

Danish shipping giant Maersk had chartered the Dali for a planned trip from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, but the ship didn’t get far. Its crew sent a mayday call saying they had lost power and had no control of the steering system. Minutes later, the ship rammed into the bridge.

Officials have said the safety board investigation will focus on the ship’s electrical system, including whether it experienced power issues before leaving Baltimore.

Six construction workers were killed in the collapse. Five bodies have been recovered from the water, but one remains missing. All the victims were Latino immigrants who were working an overnight shift filling potholes on the bridge. Police officers were able to stop traffic moments before the collapse, but they didn’t have enough time to alert the workers.

Maryland leaders said last week that they plan to rebuild the bridge by fall 2028.