Coast Guard speaks on latest effort to clear bridge collapse debris

(13 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baltimore - 13 May 2024
1. Various of Coast Guard inspecting the ship after the explosion
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. Gen Scott Spellmon, Commanding General of US Army Corps of Engineers:
"We're in day 49, just finishing up week seven in our response and we are just one small part of a much larger effort with the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, some great industry partners, certainly the city of Maryland and the city of Baltimore. But today we achieved important milestone. The objective for today was to separate what we call section four of span 18 from the vessel Dali. You saw that occur and that allows us to take the important next step of moving the vessel Dali over the next 48 hours, and then going on to our next phase of work in restoring the full 700 foot wide by 50 foot deep Federal Navigation Channel by the end of the month. We have all that we need to accomplish this mission."
3. Med of crew members inspecting on the ship
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. Gen Scott Spellmon, Commanding General of US Army Corps of Engineers:
"Spanned four ways, about 4000 tons by our estimate. And the vessel actually had about 10,000 tons of ballast water pumped into the front of the vessel to hold it in place while we moved that massive weight. So as they prepare to move the vessel Dali in the days ahead, they will take that water out of the front of the vessel. And that would be one of the key tasks that they accomplish to eventually move the galley to a safer part of the port."
5. Various of boats passing by the ship and going underneath the bridge in one of the open channels
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. Gen Scott Spellmon, Commanding General of US Army Corps of Engineers:
"I've learned that salvage operations is a lot like peeling back an onion. So that's the work you see occurring right now. The teams are already out assessing. Was there any movement to the debris on top of the vessel? Did the members fall into the channel as we had planned? Of course, the answer is that, yes. But they're doing the detailed work and already planning the next cuts in lifts of that of those members."
7. Wide pan of the bridge and ship
STORYLINE:
Crews have conducted a controlled demolition to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Officials said the detonation went as planned. They said the next step in the dynamic cleanup process is to assess the few remaining trusses on the Dali's bow and make sure none of the underwater wreckage is preventing the ship from being re-floated and moved from its current spot.

"It's a lot like peeling back an onion," said Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Officials still expect to re-float the ship within the next few days.

The crew remained onboard the ship during the detonation and no injuries or problems were reported, according to Capt. David O'Connell, commander of the Port of Baltimore.

AP Video by Nathan Ellgren

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