The US Army Corps of Engineers and US Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving have restored the Fort McHenry Federal Channel to its original operational dimensions of 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep for commercial maritime transit through the Port of Baltimore as part of the Unified Command response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Since March 26, the US Army Corps of Engineers and US Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving have been working to clear the wreckage at Key Bridge and move the M/V Dali from the Federal Channel.
Following the removal of wreckage at the 50-foot mud line, the Unified Command performed a survey of the Federal Channel on June 10, certifying the riverbed as safe for transit.
The Unified Command safely moved the M/V Dali on May 20 and widened the Limited Access Channel to 400 feet on May 21, permitting all pre-collapse, deep-draft commercial vessels to transit through the Port of Baltimore.
In the announcement, the US Army Corps of Engineers and US Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, said the fully operational channel enables the flexibility to regain two-way traffic and cancel the additional safety requirements that were implemented because of the reduced channel width.
"We are proud of the unified efforts that fully reopened the Federal Channel to port operations," said Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, commanding general of USACE.
Fully restoring the Federal Channel to its original width and depth involved removing about 50,000 tons of bridge wreckage from the Patapsco River.
At its highest point, the Unified Command, consisting of six agencies, led the response efforts among about 56 federal, state, and local agencies, represented by 1,587 individual responders.
Additionally, about 500 specialists from around the world operated a fleet of 18 barges, 22 tugboats, 13 floating cranes, 10 excavators, and four survey boats.
"We've cleared the Fort McHenry Federal Channel for safe transit. USACE will maintain this critical waterway as we have for the last 107 years," said Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District commander.
The wreckage will continue to be transported to Sparrows Point for follow-on processing. From this point on, follow-on work in the channel is part of routine maintenance, ensuring future dredging operations will not be impacted.
"Although the overarching goal to restore full operational capacity to the Federal Channel was successful, each day, we thought of those who lost their lives, their families, and the workers impacted by this tragic event," Pinchasin added.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March after it was hit by the container vessel Dali.
The 10,000 TEU container vessel Dali, operated as part of the Maersk/MSC 2M alliance on its Asia — US East Coast TP12/Empire service, was on its way out of the Port of Baltimore and heading to Colombo, Sri Lanka, when it may have suffered a loss of propulsion.
This caused it to collide with the support of the Key Bridge on March 26, leading to the bridge's collapse and several casualties.
