BALTIMORE, MD—The Port of Baltimore has reopened to commercial traffic after the M/V Dali was refloated and moved on Monday morning.

With the assistance of five tugboats and other support vessels, the M/V Dali was towed and pushed 2.5 miles, arriving at a local marine terminal at approximately 9 a.m.

This milestone allows all pre-collapse deep-draft commercial vessels to enter and exit the Port of Baltimore.

The successful refloating is a milestone in the weeks long restoration project, which is aimed at repairing the damaged bridge and restoring the waterway commerce. The Unified Command intends to continue working with the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Transportation Authority to remove any remaining bridge wreckage and restore the federal channel to its original width of 700 feet.

“This marks the resumption of commercial vessel transits in and out of the Port of Baltimore,” said the Unified Command. “This truly signifies the next chapter in restoring the waterway commerce in this region, which also serves as the economic engine for thousands of workers and their families who depend on commerce traveling through the Port of Baltimore.”

The relocation of the ship also marks the resumption of commercial cruises in the region. Six tugboats and other support vessels are working to clear the remaining wreckage from the Fort McHenry Federal Channel. Once the channel is fully restored, the Unified Command will relocate the six entities of the Unified Command to their respective worksites.

Governor Wes Moore released the following statement on the successful mission, carried out by Unified Command, to refloat and move the container ship Dali, which collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the early morning of March 26:

“By working as a team, staying focused, and living Mission First and People Always, we have refloated and moved the Dali – achieving in a matter of weeks what many thought would take months.

“We knew from the moment of the collapse that our mission to bring closure to the families, clear wreckage, move the ship, open the channel, and support all those affected would be remarkably complex and dangerous. Seven weeks later, we have recovered all six individuals who lost their lives, enacted bipartisan legislation to support workers and businesses, and, as of today, successfully refloated the Dali.

“I am grateful for the extraordinary work of Unified Command, whose members have moved with speed and focus to lift thousands of tons of steel out of the water without a single injury. They have been true partners in this work, and they prove what it means to be Maryland Tough and Baltimore Strong.

“Today, we took an enormous step forward in our mission to recover from the collapse. But our work isn’t done. We must continue to move in partnership with all key stakeholders – inside and outside of government – to clear the full 700 foot federal channel, support our people, including the workers, businesses, and families affected by the collapse, and rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge. And with this team, I know that we will.”

Timelapse video of the refloating mission can be viewed below.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Video by Thomas Deaton
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District