The first ships passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port. The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag, first passed through the new 35-foot channel headed for Saint John, Canada. Two more commercial ships followed later Thursday, the AP reports. Their long-awaited voyages marked an important step in the cleanup and recovery effort as crews work around the clock to clear thousands of tons of mangled steel and concrete from the entrance to Baltimore's harbor.
Five vessels that have been stranded for weeks are expected to finally leave Baltimore through the new, temporary channel. Other ships are scheduled to enter the port, which normally processes more cars and farm equipment than any other in the country. Thousands of longshoremen, truckers, and small-business owners have seen their jobs impacted by the collapse, prompting local and state officials to prioritize reopening the port and restoring its traffic to normal capacity. Officials have also established assistance programs for unemployed workers and others affected by the closure.
On Thursday morning, the Balsa 94 moved through the channel guided by two tugboats, one in front and one behind. It glided slowly past the fallen bridge and grounded Dali, the massive container ship that caused the collapse when it slammed into one of the bridge's support columns. Pieces of the steel span are still blocking other parts of the port's main channel, per the AP. Six members of a roadwork crew plunged to their deaths in the collapse. The new channel will remain open until Monday or Tuesday and then close again until roughly May 10 to allow work to continue. The port's main channel is to reopen next month.
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