Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday a “very long road ahead” to recover from the loss of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore as the Biden administration approved $60 million in emergency federal aid following the deadly collapse.
Large barges carrying cranes streamed to the site to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete as the first step towards reopening a key shipping route blocked by the destruction in height.
Moore promised that the “best minds in the world” are working on plans to clear the debris, move the cargo ship that crashed into the bridge off course, recover the bodies of the four remaining workers presumed dead and -investigate what happened.
“The government is working with the industry to investigate the area, including the wreck, and remove the ship,” said Moore, a Democrat, who said immediate help was needed to “lay the foundation for a rapid recovery.” President Joe Biden has promised that the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.
“This job doesn't take a lot of time. This job doesn't take days. This job won't take weeks,” Moore said. “We have a very long road ahead.”
US Coast Guard officials said Wednesday night that barges were en route to the area where the bridge crosses the Patapsco River, but it was unclear when they would arrive.
The destruction of the collapse area, which occurred when the powerless cargo ship hit a pillar supporting the bridge early Tuesday, was wide. Divers recovered the bodies of two men in a pickup truck near the mid-span of the bridge on Wednesday, but officials said they must begin clearing the wreckage before anyone else. to reach the bodies of four more missing workers.
State police said the vehicles appeared to be wrapped in a “superstructure” of concrete and other debris.
“We have exhausted all efforts to search the area around this wreckage, and based on the sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are embedded in the superstructure and concrete,” Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of the Maryland State Police, said Wednesday.
National Transportation Safety Board officials boarded the ship, the Dali, to retrieve information from its electronics and paperwork and to interview the captain and other crew members. Investigators have shared a preliminary timeline of events leading up to the crash, which federal and state officials say appears to be an accident.
“The best minds in the world are coming together to gather the information we need to proceed with speed and safety as we respond to this collapse,” Moore said Thursday.
Of the 21 crew members on board, 20 are from India, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesman for the country's foreign ministry, told reporters. One was slightly injured and needed stitches, but “everyone is in good condition and in good health,” Jaiswal said.
The victims, who was part of a construction crew repairing holes in the bridge, came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Butler said. At least eight people were the first to go into the water when the ship hit the pillar of the bridgeand two of them survived Tuesday, officials said.
The crash caused the bridge to collapse and fall into the water within seconds. The authorities have just enough time to stop vehicle traffic, but did not have a chance to alert construction crews.
During the opening day game of the Baltimore Orioles Thursday, Sgt. Paul Pastorek, Cpl. Jeremy Herbert and Officer Garry Kirts of the Maryland Transportation Authority were honored for their actions in stopping traffic on the bridge and preventing further loss of life.
The three said in a statement that they “proudly carry out our duties as officers of this state to save the lives we can.”
The Dali, managed by Synergy Marine Group, is sailing from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. It is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and Danish shipping giant Maersk said it was chartered.
Synergy extended its sympathies to the families of the victims in a statement early Thursday.
“We deeply regret this incident and the problems it has caused for the people of Baltimore and the regional economy that relies on this very important port,” Synergy said, announcing that it would continue to cooperate with investigators. .
Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen's Association Local 333, said the union is scrambling to help nearly 2,400 members whose jobs are at risk of drying up until shipping can resume at the Port of Baltimore.
“Without ships, there are no jobs,” he said. “We're doing everything we can.”
The large vessel was carrying approximately 4,700 metal shipping containers, 56 of which contained hazardous materials. Thirteen of those were destroyed, officials said. However, industrial hygienists who check the contents identify these as perfumes and soaps, according to the Key Bridge Joint Information Center.
“There is no immediate environmental threat,” the center said.
Booms are in place to control the spread of any oil that seeps into the water, and state environmental officials are also sampling the water Thursday.
Commercial divers sent to work under bridge debris and container ships will encounter challenging conditions, including limited visibility and moving currents, an expert said.
“Debris can be dangerous, especially if you can't see what's in front of you,” said Donald Gibbons, an instructor at Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Centers.
The sudden loss of a highway that carries 30,000 vehicles a day and the destruction of the port will affect not only thousands of port workers and passengers but also US consumers, who are likely to feel on effect of delivery delay.
The governors of New York and New Jersey have offered to carry out the disrupted shipments, to try to minimize supply chain disruptions.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who met Thursday with supply chain officials, said the Biden administration is focused on reopening the port and rebuilding the bridge, but not he laid out a timeline of efforts.
From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapsed worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.