The American government is keen to clear up the damage quickly, because the port of Baltimore is important for the transit of goods. The port is currently completely closed to ships.
Lifting weight of 1000 tons
There is now a huge crane for cleaning up, according to the BBC the largest available in the east of the country, brought to the site of the accident to lift the bridge parts out of the water. The crane, called the Chesapeake 1000, dates from 1972 and is 58 meters long. It could lift a weight of 1000 tons.
In the photo below you can clearly see how enormous the devastation is, and how gigantic the task is for the recovery companies. On the right of the photo the freight ship that sailed against the bridge, on the left of the photo the crane:
The accident happened on the night of Monday to Tuesday, when the rudderless container ship Dali collided with a pillar of the bridge. The bridge, which is 2.5 kilometers long in total, then collapsed over a large part of its length.
Four more missing
Thanks to alert police action, traffic could be stopped in time, but eight road workers were still on the bridge repairing holes in the road surface. Two of them were quickly rescued from the water. The bodies of two of them have been recovered. The remaining four missing people are thought to be dead. There is no search for them now, because it is too dangerous for divers to search among the wreckage.
US President Joe Biden has already announced that he will travel to Baltimore next week. He will view the disaster site with his own eyes and speak with government representatives involved in the recovery.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said “every stage of the recovery operation will be difficult.” According to him, there are pieces of steel weighing 3,000 to 4,000 tons.”
Harmful substances
A total of more than 1,100 specialists are involved in the recovery, including engineers from the US Army. They will have to develop a plan to saw the bridge parts into smaller pieces so that the crane can lift them. Care is also taken to ensure that no harmful substances leak into the water. Chemical substances are said to be present in several containers on board the Dali. To prevent the spread of leaking substances, floating walls are also placed in the water.
The Chesapeake 1000 receives help with the lifting work from a second crane, which is on its way to the scene of the accident. This crane should arrive during Saturday.
According to experts, the cleanup could last the entire month of April. Rebuilding the bridge could take years.
2024-03-29 22:04:50
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