NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Yet another container ship is bound to join the many others that frequent the terminals of Hampton Roads, but this one will not arrive to make a delivery. The very ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in late March, the Dali, is coming to Norfolk for repairs later this year.
At a Tuesday morning press conference in front of the collapse site, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said this will be the most expensive maritime tragedy in the history of the nation. He said the Dali will be in Baltimore for “four to six weeks” while crews remove pieces of the bridge, damaged containers and parts of the roadway still on board. They will also make a number of temporary fixes. Once this is done, it will be sent to Norfolk.
“So there’s still going to be a process to be able to fully clear up the Dali, that will allow it to make its final journey, that will be able to go to the port of Norfolk,” Moore said. He did not specify which shipyard will receive the Dali.
Dali crew members now have the chance to spend some time off the ship for the first time since the initial collapse. At the press conference, a Coast Guard spokesperson said there is now a 400 foot wide by 50 foot deep channel for 24/7 operations at the Port of Baltimore. They are working to expand this further, while clearing additional rubble from the bottom of the channel.
The City of Norfolk already helped out with the aftermath of the collapse by handling the many large cruise ships that were originally bound for Charm City.
Passengers embarked and debarked from the Norfolk Cruise Ship Terminal for nearly two months. The last such cruise liner left on Sunday, May 19.
Just one day later, crews finally freed the massive Dali vessel from the gnarly clutches of the bridge debris, 55 days after the collapse. Tugboats brought the Dali to the Seagirt Marine Terminal, about two and a half miles from the bridge collapse.
This is where the rest of the wreckage will be taken off the ship. 10 On Your Side confirmed with Synergy Marine that as soon as this is done — the ship will be sent to Norfolk for repairs. Darrel Wilson, a spokesperson for the company, said their thoughts are with the families of the six maintenance workers killed by the collapse. They have also been working with the Dali crew members,
“The crew has been on board performing all of their normal duties on board, but also helping the salvers with work on the ship, because no one knows that ship better than its own crew,” Wilson said.
He told our news team the crew is also working with federal investigators as they work to figure out why the collapse happened. The FBI seized smartphones from the more than 20 crew members in the weeks after the collapse. Wilson said since then, Synergy Marine gave them new phones to pay bills and contact their loved ones. Most are from India, with at least one from Sri Lanka.
“They’re holding up okay,” Wilson said. “We’re hoping to try and get some shore leave coordinated for them, but of course, we’ll have to work with the authorities on that.”
Wilson said the Dali is expected to arrive in Norfolk sometime over the summer.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.