Crews detonated a series of connected explosives on Monday to destroy the largest remaining span of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the steel section to collapse into the water within seconds with a loud bang.
The explosive glowed orange and emitted a large amount of black smoke when it exploded. The longest truss fell from the stranded Dali container ship, sliding off the bow and kicking up a wall of water that splashed back onto the ship.
It marks an important step in the process of freeing the ship, which has been trapped in the wreckage since it lost power and struck one of the bridge’s support columns shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26. The week was spent resting on deck.
The collapse killed six construction workers and disrupted much of the marine traffic at Baltimore’s busy port. As the cleanup enters its final stages, the controlled dismantling will allow the Dali to be refloated and traffic through the port restored.
Once the ships are removed, marine traffic can begin to return to normal, which will provide relief to thousands of longshoremen, truck drivers and small business owners whose jobs have been affected by the shutdown.
Officials previously said that the Dali’s 21 crew members would shelter in place on the ship while the explosives detonated.
In footage released this week, authorities said engineers were using precision cuts to control how the trusses break down. They say the method allows for “surgical precision” and is one of the safest and most effective ways to remove steel under high tension.
The next step is to use hydraulic grabs to lift the resulting steel segments onto the barge.
The Dali Island crew has not been allowed to leave the stranded ship since the disaster. Officials said they have been busy maintaining the ship and assisting investigators. Among the crew, 20 are from India and 1 is from Sri Lanka.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI are investigating the bridge collapse.
Danish shipping giant Maersk once chartered the “Daly” and planned to travel from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, but the ship did not go very far. The crew issued a distress call, indicating they had lost power and were unable to control the steering system. Minutes later, the ship hit the bridge.
Officials said the safety board’s investigation will focus on the ship’s electrical systems.
