Posted on June 10, 2026
By Martyn Wingrove
Clearance of wreckage and debris from a port channel following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that formed part of a major interstate highway near Baltimore, Maryland, US, was far quicker than originally anticipated, according to one of the key players in the operation.
A partnership of federal and state authorities and salvors took just three months to clear the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge in a channel of the Patapsco River.
When 9,962-TEU, 330-m container ship Dali hit the bridge on 26 March 2024, the subsequent bridge collapse killed six construction workers and closed the Port of Baltimore. The wreckage-removal operation and ship-salvage campaign that ensued was expected to last nine to 12 months.
Donjon Marine vice president for salvage operations Tim Williamson, who acted as the company’s project manager for the FSK channel clearance, said it took just 77 days to fully open the channel to the port, one of the biggest on the US East Coast.
Opening of the channel was done in stages with teams from multiple organisations and companies working together to release Dali, map, lift and remove bridge debris, and sail it on barges for recycling.
“After 29 days, the first channel was opened, and [after] 56 days the second channel was opened,” said Mr Williamson during Riviera’s 28th ITS Convention in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 21 May. This work enabled tugs and barges and small vessels to pass into and out of the port.
“At 77 days, the full channel was opened, and final clearance was completed in 91 days,” he said.
Two of the keys to success were “having numerous parties work together seamlessly and using the most current available technology,” he said.
Dali incident investigation by NTSB
Soon after leaving a Baltimore container terminal, Dali lost power, propulsion and steering while navigating through the Fort McHenry Channel, a deepwater route that leads from the port to the Chesapeake Bay.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a casualty investigation and found, among other things, crew on Dali were using the flushing pump to provide fuel to the generators, instead of fuel supply pumps, and a loose wire caused power blackouts. Without steering and power, pilots and the bridge team were unable to prevent the neo-Panamax container ship striking the bridge.
Wreck removal operations
Mr Williamson said the project to remove the collapsed bridge segments and the vessel pinned beneath some of those segments involved three simultaneous salvage operations in a confined shipping channel.
The US Army Corps of Engineers and Donjon were primarily responsible for bridge wreck removal, clearing the channel and opening the port back up.
Resolve Marine was contracted for salvaging Dali by removing, via explosives, the bridge steel that had fallen on its bow deck and then refloating the damaged ship.
“The third priority was the remaining bridge sections that were outside the federal [area],” Mr Williamson said. “Working together and co-ordinating sometimes competing priorities was a whole task.”
Once the project was started, surveys were undertaken using sonar and lidar to identify and map bridge debris. Then, engineering plans were created and checked with naval architects and government officials. “It takes a lot of planning before execution,” he said.
Equipment, machinery, barges and vessels were rapidly sourced and mobilised to the area to begin work as quickly and effectively as possible.
A fleet of over 20 vessels, including floating cranes, tugboats and barges removed around 50,000 tonnes of debris from the Patapsco River.
“Diamond wire did most of the cuttings and a large crane barge lifted the main sections, the largest being 770 tonnes,” said Mr Williamson.
Debris was lifted using a grabber and deposited on barges, which were towed to a converted port facility in New Jersey for processing and recycling of debris.
Sonar and lidar surveys continued and aerial drones were deployed during wreck removal operations to provide frequent information updates on the location of debris and project progress, and to maintain the safety of salvage teams.
“Environmental issues were a big concern,” said Mr Williamson. “Chesapeake Bay is protected. So, we needed to find a solution for processing deposits, steel, tarmac and mud debris,” he said.
Mr Williamson said the rapid progress of wreck removal operations was due to salvage teams working together and the close relationships with authorities prior and during the work.
“People make the difference,” he said. “It would not be possible without the people working long hours until the Port of Baltimore was opened.”
Salvage-sector dilemmas
Some of the key challenges the salvage industry faces include maintaining experience, recruiting and training new people and sourcing assets for maritime and offshore work.
“Many experienced people are retiring and new people coming in need training and exercises – it is an ongoing concern,” said Mr Williamson.
Another problem is a lack of training and experience of first responders to a maritime accident, especially ship fires in harbours, as highlighted during recent incidents in US ports.
“Land-based firefighting is different to fighting a fire on a ship,” said Mr Williamson.
“There have been cases where minor incidents can turn into major accidents. Soft groundings can become large incidents and a small, contained fire can turn into a major blaze and a total [ship] loss.”
He is calling on emergency services in ports to practice firefighting on vessels at quaysides to gain experience on how these are different to a warehouse blaze and to identify how better to respond.
“Drills need to be realistic so people will learn more,” Mr Williamson said. “If everyone responds in a known response framework then it should go well, but they should be prepared for changes as incidents happen.”
Mr Williamson is also concerned about the growing use of alternative fuels, such as biofuels, methanol, LNG and potentially ammonia in the future, as salvors lack experience and knowledge of dealing with casualties involving ships using these fuels.
“If we are responding to ships using alternative fuels, there would be difficulties in finding assets to do ship-to-ship transfers,” he said. “We do not want to let a small incident become a large accident.”
