In the early morning hours of March 26, the container ship M/V Dali lost power and collided with a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing a major portion of the bridge to collapse into the water. The crash resulted in the deaths of six workers on the bridge and blocked a key port of entry to the United States with over 50,000 tons of debris. Many believed it would take months to reopen the Port of Baltimore, but less than three months after the incident, the port was fully reopened.
Numerous organizations, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, mobilized quickly to address the disaster. The Chief of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, testified about the multiagency effort to reopen the port before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. He emphasized that the response was a joint effort across all levels of government to clear the debris and reopen the critical port. After Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency, the Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District activated its Emergency Operations Center and initiated the response effort.
Spellmon highlighted the exceptional leadership of U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath and Capt. David O’Connell in coordinating the response efforts. President Joe Biden provided guidance, emphasizing the need to remove the wreckage from the Federal Navigation Channel and reopen it promptly. The Corps, which has managed the Baltimore Channel since 1970, used funding from various sources and collaborated with the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving to engage salvage companies for the cleanup operation.
The multiagency group faced the daunting task of removing approximately 50,000 tons of debris from the Patapsco River, equivalent to over 200 Statues of Liberty worth of material. They devised a plan to clear a limited access channel by the end of April and restore the full navigation channel by the end of May. By June 10, the federal channel was successfully restored to its original depth and width, with all wreckage removed. Spellmon expressed pride in the teamwork and collaboration that led to the successful completion of the debris removal mission and the reopening of the Port of Baltimore Navigation Channel.
