On Thursday night, Governor Wes Moore and officials from the United States Coast Guard held a news conference to address the situation involving the wreckage of the Dali vessel. The nearly 1,000 foot Singaporean vessel collided with a pylon at the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Sadly, six construction workers are presumed dead, with two bodies having been recovered so far.
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath reported that 14 containers on the vessel were impacted, containing primarily soap, perfume, and some resin material. It is unclear whether the contents of these containers are still onboard the boat or have gone overboard. The USCG is actively monitoring potential air threats through air monitoring and has deployed 2400 feet of sorbent boom to contain leakage from the site.
On Wednesday night, concerns were raised about environmental threats to aquatic life as a sheen was observed on the water by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials. Gilreath suspects this may be from approximately 80 liters of oil associated with a bowel thruster on the ship. To aid in clearing debris and rebuilding costs for bridge repair, Governor Moore announced that Maryland has been approved for $60 million in federal relief. The state will cover $35 million towards debris removal while U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will cover full cost of clearing channel and Department of Transportation emergency relief funding will cover majority bridge rebuild costs.
Senator Chris Van Hollen emphasized that getting port of Baltimore back to full operation was a priority for everyone involved stating it would help revive local economy which relies heavily on shipping industry . Plans are underway to bring in two large cranes including one 1000 feet long crane to assist in salvage operations .
