Three months after it crashed into Francis Scott Key bridge and caused its collapse, the Dali cargo ship finally left the waters of Baltimore on Monday as it heads to Virginia for repairs.
The almost 1000-foot Dali had remained in the Port of Baltimore since the incident on March 26, when the ship bound for Sri Lanka suffered a blackout just 30 minutes into its journey. The crew lost control of the Dali, which then struck a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading to the bridge’s collapse and killing six members of a maintenance crew working on the road above.
The Coast Guard said in a statement Monday that it was guiding the Dali to the Port of Virginia and providing a 500-yard safety zone around the ship to ensure it makes the journey without issue.
“The Dali is scheduled to sail under its own power with a full crew of 22 and six salvage experts from Resolve Marine,” the Coast Guard said. “Four commercial tugboats will accompany the ship and the salvage vessel Interceptor from Resolve Marine will follow closely behind. “
The boat will first travel to the Virginia International Gateway, where it will have around 1,500 cargo containers offloaded, and then travel to Norfolk International Terminal for repairs caused by the crash.
The Dali had been stuck in the wreckage of the bridge for almost two months. To free the boat, explosives experts had to detonate the portion of the bridge that was resting on top of the ship. The Dali was then brought back to port in May, where it remained until its move Monday.
State officials said in May it will likely cost between $1.7 and $1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge and estimate a new span will be completed in fall 2028.