CNN
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Planned demolition of major sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is scheduled to begin Monday after lightning and other inclement weather delayed the work over the weekend.
Demolition work, which includes using small explosives to break up a huge chunk of the Baltimore Bridge where a cargo ship collapsed about seven weeks ago, was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to bad weather. Officials were forced to postpone the work to Sunday before it could finally be carried out. The Coast Guard said it was rescheduled for Monday at 5 p.m.
The planned demolition will help authorities remove debris that ultimately led to a 213-million-pound wreck that veered off course on March 26, struck a column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and fell downstream into the Patapsco River. The million pound Dali cargo ship will be released.
The collapse killed six construction workers, destroyed a major thoroughfare, and threatened the Port of Baltimore's economy. It also led to multiple investigations into what went wrong and who was to blame. The demolition, scheduled for Monday, comes days before a Wednesday hearing scheduled by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, including the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and officials from the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Department of Transportation. They are scheduled to testify.
“We will never sacrifice safety for speed,” Coast Guard Officer Nick Ameen said Sunday of weather delays. “When lightning struck that area, the clock's hands moved backwards, and the clock kept going off and on.”
Authorities began demolition work after the body of the sixth and final victim was recovered from the water last week.
Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali, said the 21 crew members who have not left the ship since it hit the bridge will remain on board during the operation.
The Baltimore Sun and CNN affiliate WBAL previously reported that if the operation was successful, the ship could be refloated and returned to the Port of Baltimore this week.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Salvage workers work to remove debris from the Dali on May 8, six weeks after the cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.
“The safest and quickest way to remove the bridge section from the top of the M/V Dali is through a precise cut with a small amount of charge,” the Major Bridge Response Unified Command said in a news release last week.
“This is an industry-standard tool in controlled demolition that breaks the span into smaller pieces, allowing operations to refloat the vessel and remove it from federal waterways,” it added.
The demolition process “looks like multiple puffs of smoke and sounds like fireworks,” according to an infographic from the U.S. Army and Army Corps of Engineers. According to the joint force, nearby communities should receive “cell phone notifications” in advance, including state and federal authorities, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers.
While engineers work through the logistics of removing the tangled metal debris to free the Dali, members of the Baltimore seafaring community remain concerned for the safety of the crew, given the length of time they were on board. ing.
“The crew will have a safe place on board to evacuate while the explosion is controlled,” Synergy Marine Group's Wilson said, adding that despite the stress of recent weeks, “It's holding up well,” he added.
“Even though it's not sailing, it's performing normal crew duties,” Wilson said. “This is still a large, complex device, and there are a lot of things you have to take care of.”
The Singapore Maritime Officers' Union and the Singapore Seafarers' Organization issued a joint statement over the weekend, saying they were concerned about the “potential criminalization” of the ship's seafarers as the investigation progresses.
The Rev. Josh Messick, executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers Center, told CNN that the crew members are well taken care of, but feel cut off from the rest of the world. They have access to the internet thanks to hotspots provided by Messick's group, but they don't have cell phones.
CNN previously reported that the FBI seized the crew's cellphones as part of the investigation, a move that unions claim has separated crew members from their families and left them without access to vital resources.
“They're feeling a little anxious because of the phone situation. We're trying to get their phones back,” Messick said. “It's more than just a phone; she can't access her banking, finances, contacts online, and she can't see photos of her loved ones before she goes to bed at night. It's more than just a phone.”
The union said its representatives were on board the Dali in April to ensure the health of the crew. They are seeking visa extensions or renewals to allow the crew to land. The union is also calling for the swift repatriation of the crew without further investigation and the return of electronic equipment.
“No matter how long the investigation takes, the rights and welfare of seafarers should not be compromised in the process,” said Dave Heindel, president of the International Union of Seafarers.
CNN’s Paradise Afshar, Holly Yang and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.
