Baltimore Key Bridge collapse latest: First piece of wreckage removed as mayor responds to racist critics
Baltimore officials are now planning to open a temporary shipping route around the wreckage to get the port up and running with Maryland Governor Wes Moore warning the disaster poses a ‘national economic catastrophe’
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The first section of the collapsed Francis Key Scott Key Bridge has now been removed from the Patapsco River, marking an important step towards removing the wreckage and getting the crucial port back up and running.
Workers have removed a 200-tonne segment and are now focusing on lifting a section of the bridge while leaving the crumpled part resting on the bow of the Dali container ship.
Baltimore officials are now planning to open a temporary shipping route around the wreckage in a bid to get trade and movement of goods in and out of the port up and running as soon as possible.
Captain David O’Connell described this as “an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore”.
The move comes after Maryland Governor Wes Moore warned that the disaster is a “national economic catastrophe” that may have a wide-ranging impact on the US economy.
“People have to remember this is not a Baltimore catastrophe, not a Maryland catastrophe,” he told CNN on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has been forced to respond to racist remarks made by conservatives who falsely attributed the incident to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Baltimore officials forced to deny right-wing theories tying disaster to DEI
Baltimore officials have been forced to deny right-wing theories tying the bridge disaster to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Several Republican figures have baselessly suggested that the crash that left six construction workers dead was caused by DEI.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore blasted the claims in a CNN “State of the Union” interview on Sunday.
“My response is I have no time for foolishness,” he said.
“I’m locked in on making sure that we can bring closure and comfort to these families and making sure that we’re going to keep our first responders safe or doing heroic work.
“On making sure that we’re going to open up this channel and be able to get boats and ships and get our economic engine going again, making sure that we’re taking care of our people to include our first responders and families and small businesses who have been impacted by this. And I’m making sure that we’re going to get the Key Bridge rebuilt. I have no time for foolishness, and so I’m not going to delve into it.”
Rachel Sharp1 April 2024 12:26
Barge hits bridge in Oklahoma just days after Baltimore tragedy
A highway in Oklahoma was temporarily shut on Saturday after a barge struck a bridge over the Arkansas River, just days after the tragic collision in Maryland.
Read the full story here:
Mike Bedigan1 April 2024 12:00
What will a temporary channel in Baltimore port look like?
According to the Unified Command, the temporary channel will be marked with government lighted aids to help navigate ships through the port and around the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Dali ship.
The channel will have a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance 96 feet.
Officials have said that the current 2,000-yard safety zone around the bridge will remain in place and that no vessel or indiviudals will be allowed to enter that zone.
The launch of a temporary channel comes as officials are trying to limit the toll the disaster will take on local, national and global trade and the economy.
Rachel Sharp1 April 2024 11:40
Baltimore plans to open temporary shipping route around wreckage
Baltimore officials are planning to open a temporary shipping route around the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in a bid to get trade and movement of goods in and out of the port up and running as soon as possible.
In a press release on Sunday, Unified Command said the Captain of the Port is “preparing to establish a temporary alternate channel on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge for commercially essential vessels”.
“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” said Captain David O’Connell, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Key Bridge Response 2024.
“By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”
Rachel Sharp1 April 2024 11:26
ICYMI: The timeline of the events before the crash
Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have unveiled a more precise timeline of exactly what happened in the runup to the cargo ship’s brutal collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Here’s the NTSB’s revised timeline of the disaster, given in hours, minutes and seconds after experts’ first full day examining the scene on Wednesday:
12.39am: Dali container ship departs from Seagirt Marine Terminal.
1.07am: It enters Fort McHenry Channel.
1.24.59am: Numerous audible alarms recorded on ship’s bridge audio. Voyage data recorder (VDR) stops recording the vessel’s system data, although it is able to continue taping audio from alternative power source.
1.26.02am: VDR resumes recording ship’s system data after glitch. Steering commands and orders regarding its rudder captured on audio.
1.26.39am: Pilot issues very high frequency (VHF) radio call to nearby tugboats requesting assistance for the stricken vessel. Pilot association dispatcher also notifies Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) duty officer regarding blackout, according to data from latter organisation.
1.27.04am: Pilot orders ship’s port anchor to be dropped and issues additional steering commands.
1.27.25am: Pilot issues radio call over VHF radio, reports that vessel has lost all power and is approaching bridge. Transit authority duty officer radios two of its units — one on each side of bridge — that are already on scene and orders them to close traffic. All lanes shut down.
1.29am: Ship’s speed recorded at just under 8 miles per hour. VDR records 33 seconds of sound consistent with vessel’s smash with bridge. MDTA dash cameras meanwhile capture bridge lights going out.
01.29.39am: Pilot radios US Coast Guard to report bridge is down.
Mike Bedigan1 April 2024 11:00
PICTURED: Wreckage of Baltimore bridge disaster starts to be removed
A crane stands by at Tradepoint Atlantic terminal near the wreckage:
Maryland Bridge Collapse
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Debris is cleared from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge:
Debris is cleared from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge
(Getty Images)
This aerial view shows the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge lying on top of the container ship Dali in Baltimore:
This aerial view shows the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge lying on top of the container ship Dali in Baltimore
(AFP via Getty Images)
Rachel Sharp1 April 2024 10:42
Baltimore’s mayor calls for bipartisan Key Bridge repair as he faces GOP opposition
The mayor of the city of Baltimore is calling on Congress to act as a united body in response to the devastation caused by the crash of a massive container ship into his city’s iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge, which destroyed the crossing and has shut down one of the biggest ports on the East Coast.
Mayor Brandon Scott appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation and told guest host Ed O’Keefe that the disaster was more than just an issue for his state, citing the specific sectors likely to be impacted by the expected months-long closure of the port. The Port of Baltimore is the largest import site for foreign automobiles in the United States, and also services other sectors including agriculture.
“This should not be something that has anything or any conversation around party,” he told CBS. “It matters to the global economy.”
Read the full story here:
Rachel Sharp1 April 2024 10:20
Watch: Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott responds to racist remarks
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 April 2024 10:00
Maryland governor says disaster is a ‘national economic catastrophe’
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has warned that the Key Bridge disaster is a “national economic catastrophe” that will have a wide-ranging and long-lasting impact on the American economy.
“People have to remember this is not a Baltimore catastrophe, not a Maryland catastrophe,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union on Sunday.
“This is a national economic catastrophe as well.”
He explained: “This port is one of the busiest, most active ports inside of the country. And so this is not just going to have an impact on Maryland. This is going to impact the farmer in Kentucky. This is going to impact the auto dealer in Ohio. This is going to impact the restaurant owner in Tennessee.”
Rachel Sharp1 April 2024 09:40
Over in Oklahoma… Barge hits bridge just days after Baltimore tragedy
A highway in Oklahoma was temporarily shut on Saturday after a barge struck a bridge over the Arkansas River, just days after the tragic collision in Maryland.
State patrol troopers closed US Highway 59 about 1:25 pm after receiving word of the incident and diverted traffic from the area, spokesperson Sarah Stewart said.
The bridge, which crosses the Arkansas River where it enters the Robert S Kerr Reservoir, was later inspected and the highway reopened to traffic around 4 pm.
Read on…
Rachel Sharp1 April 2024 09:20
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