$60m federal help sought for Baltimore bridge rebuild

Massive barges carrying cranes streamed towards Baltimore yesterday to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete in an attempt to open a key shipping route blocked by the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

MarylandgovernorWesMoore promised that “the best minds in the world” were working on plans to clearthe debris, movethe cargo ship that rammed into the bridge from the channel, recover the bodies of the four remaining workers presumed dead, and investigate what went wrong.

“Government is working hand in hand with industry to investigate the area, including the wreck, and remove the ship,” said Governor Moore, a Democrat whose administration also asked yesterday for $60m in emergency federal funding.

The initial funding was needed, he said, to “lay the foundation for a rapid recovery”. President Joe Biden has pledged the federal government would pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.

US Coast Guard officials said on Wednesday night that barges were on their way to the spot where the bridge crossed the Patapsco River, but it was not clear when they would arrive.

The devastation at the site of the collapse, which happened when the powerless cargo ship struck a pillar supporting the bridge early on Tuesday, is extensive.

Divers reached the bodies of two men in a pickup truck near the bridge’s middle span on Wednesday, but officials said theywould need to start clearing awaythetwistedwreckagebefore anyone could reach the bodies of four other missing workers.

“We’re now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation. Because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe are the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris, divers are no longer able to safely navigate or operate around that,” Colonel Roland L Butler Jr, superintendent of Maryland State Police, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

“We have exhausted all search efforts in the areas around this wreckage, and based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down,” Col Butler said.

Col Butler said his agency would support the unified command during the salvage assessment phase, but he asked for patience, warning that “there’s no definitive timeline”.

NationalTransportation Safety Board officials boarded the ship, the Dali, to recover information from its electronics and paperwork and to interview the captain and other crew members.

Investigators shared a preliminary timeline of events before the crash, which federal and state officials have said appeared to be an accident.

Of the 21 crewmembers on the ship, 20 are from India, Randhir Jaiswal, the nation’s foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters yesterday. One was slightly injured and needed stitches, but “all are in good shape and good health”, Mr Jaiswal said.

Thevictims, whowere part of a construction crewfixing potholes on the bridge, were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Col Butler said. At least eight people initially went into the water when the ship struck the bridge column, and two of them were rescued on Tuesday, officials said.

The crash caused the bridge to break and fall into the water within seconds. Authorities had just enough time to stop vehicle traffic, but didn’t get a chance to alert the construction crew.

The Dali, which is managed by SynergyMarineGroup, washeaded from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. It is owned byGrace Ocean Private Ltd, and Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered it.

Synergy expressed its regret and extended sympathies to the families of those lost in a statement early yesterday.

“Wedeeplyregret this incident and the problems it has caused for the people of Baltimore and the region’s economy that relies on this vitally important port,” Synergy said, noting it would continue to cooperate with investigators.

The sudden loss of a highway that carries 30,000 vehicles a day and the port disruptionwill affect not only thousands of dockworkers and commuters but also US consumers, who are likely to feel the impact of shipping delays.

The governors of New York and New Jersey have offered to take on cargo shipments that have been disrupted.

NewYork governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey governor Phil Murphy said in a statement yesterdaythat ports in their states can handle additional shipments in an attempt to minimise supply-chain disruptions.

Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg has said the Biden administration was focused on reopening the port and rebuilding the bridge, but he did not put a timeline on those efforts.

Mr Buttigieg planned to meet with supply-chain officials yesterday.