First ship takes diversion to escape debris in vicinity of Baltimore bridge collapse

A small boat pulled a fuel barge through a different path to avoid the broken bridge in Baltimore. The bridge had blocked the main route for ships in the important port.

The boat bringing fuel to the Department of Defense left on Monday and is heading to Delaware’s Dover Air Force Base. The temporary channel is mostly for boats helping with the cleanup. Some ships that have been stuck in the Port of Baltimore since the collapse are also set to go through the channel.

Authorities are making a new channel on the southwest side of the main channel. It will be deeper to allow bigger boats to pass through. But they haven’t said when it will be ready.

The leader of the state. On Tuesday, Wes Moore will visit a center the Small Business Administration opened to help businesses get loans after the bridge collapse. This will assist businesses with their losses.

In Annapolis, there will be a meeting on Tuesday to talk about a new law that will use state money to help port workers who lost their jobs because of the bridge collapse. Politicians are trying to make the bill into a law before their session ends next Monday.

Workers are removing metal and concrete from the bridge that collapsed after a ship crashed into it. On Sunday, people who can swim went underwater to look at parts of the bridge and the ship, and workers in tall machines used lights to cut the twisted steel above the water.

Experts think that six workers fell to their deaths when the building collapsed. They found the bodies of two workers last week. Two more workers lived.

Moore, who is a Democrat, said at a news conference on Monday afternoon that his main focus is finding the four bodies that are still missing, and then making the shipping channels open again. He said he knows it’s important but there are big risks. The workers said the broken steel beams from the collapsed bridge look like a mess.

“Things are turning out to be more difficult than we expected at first,” said Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath of the US Coast Guard.

At the moment, the ship is not moving, and its 21 crew members are still on board, according to officials.

President Joe Biden will go to the place where the bridge collapsed on Friday. He will meet with local leaders and government officials to see how the government is helping.

The bridge collapsed when the cargo ship Dali lost power on March 26, soon after leaving Baltimore on its way to Sri Lanka. The ship sent out a distress signal, and the police stopped traffic, but they couldn’t save the roadwork crew working on the bridge.

The Dali is run by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. , both from Singapore. Maersk, a big shipping company from Denmark, rented the Dali.

Synergy and Grace Ocean asked a court on Monday to protect them from being responsible for legal issues related to US maritime law. It’s a normal thing to do, but it’s important for their case. A court in Maryland will make the final decision on who is responsible and how much they have to pay.

The document wants to limit the amount of money the companies can be held responsible for to around US$43. 6It is believed that the ship is worth as much as $90 million, and it was supposed to receive more than $1. 1 million for carrying cargo. The estimate takes away two big expenses: at least $28 million for repairs and at least $19. 5 million for salvaging.

Officials are figuring out how to fix the big bridge, which was finished in 1977. It went around part of Baltimore and showed the city’s strong working-class and maritime traditions.

Congress will think about giving money to help people who lose their jobs or businesses because the Port of Baltimore is closed for a long time. The port deals with more cars and farming tools than any other place in the US.