Explosives to free Dali from Key Bridge wreckage, crew to shelter in place on board

Unified Command will use explosive charges to free the Dali container ship from the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the ship’s crew will shelter in place on board while the explosives are detonated, 11 News Investigates has learned.

When detonated, the explosives will separate a large piece of the Key Bridge that’s lying on top of the Dali’s bow, according to Unified Command’s Petty Officer Ronald Hodges. Unified Command has determined the crew can safely stay on board the Dali and does not need to evacuate prior to detonation, Hodges said.

Hodges said he could not say where the crew would be kept on the ship while the explosives are set off. The explosives used to extricate the Dali from the bridge truss will be similar to the explosives that were used to demolish the historic Gov. Harry W. Nice Bridge in March 2023, he said.

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