The work of clearing tonnes of steel debris from the deep waters of the Patapsco River is expected to be difficult and dangerous, made more delicate by the fact that the bodies of four workers have yet to be recovered.
But the arrival of the huge floating crane – able to lift a 1,000-ton (907-tonne) load – will allow the work to begin.
The four missing workers are believed to have been killed when the Singapore-flagged, 1,000-foot (300-metre) container ship Dali lost power and careered into a bridge support column early on Tuesday.
Officials said that as the crane begins work, with two more smaller floating cranes en route, an early challenge will be to cut the twisted bridge wreckage into pieces the cranes can handle.
The federal administration has approved US$60 million in emergency funding for the complex clean-up and recovery operation, while the cost of building a new bridge could ultimately hit US$1 billion.
US awards Maryland US$60 million to rebuild collapsed Baltimore bridge
US awards Maryland US$60 million to rebuild collapsed Baltimore bridge
The operation is likely to take place in three phases: trusses from the bridge removed to allow one-way traffic into and out of the port; bridge segments on the ship lifted so the ship can be moved; and then steel and concrete debris from the river bed cleared.
The project is likely to take months, though one analyst told the US Naval Institute that the channel could be reopened for limited traffic in as little as a month.
The Army Corps of Engineers, which is leading the effort, said it has activated an emergency plan to deploy more than 1,100 engineering, construction, contracting and operations specialists.
The corps is also sending remotely operated vehicles and sonar equipment; several ships to help in debris removal; and dive safety experts.
The accident had an immediate impact on cargo shipping – and on the jobs of an estimated 15,000 people employed directly at the major port – with vehicle, coal and sugar shippers immediately affected.
Baltimore is the biggest vehicle-handling port in the country, according to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Cruise lines were also hit. Royal Caribbean, one of four cruise lines to use the Baltimore terminal, said it had diverted a returning liner, the Vision of the Seas, to Norfolk, Virginia.
Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, told CNN that the country’s supply chains were more resilient today thanks to work done after the Covid-19 pandemic caused huge shipping delays.
