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Port Of Baltimore News

26 Mar 2025

One Year Ago Today: U.S. Maritime Industry Delivers in Wake of FSK Bridge Collapse

Cashman’s Dale Pyatt working with Sterling Equipment’s The Pulverizer; in the back drop is the Weeks 533 and Chesapeake 100. Photo courtesy DOD/DVIDS

We are at the one-year since the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River’s Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore, Maryland. Nearly 100 percent of the wreckage and debris removal was conducted by the Jones Act private sector U.S. maritime industry. The FSK collapsed at about 1:28 a.m. local time on March 26, 2025 after the container ship MV DALI lost power and collided with one of bridge’s support piers. Six construction workers died in the collapse, while two other workers survived the fall into the freezing water.

15 Jan 2025

WSP-Led Partnership Secures Baltimore Bridge Rebuilding Contract

Maryland Transportation Authority selected Bridging Maryland Partnership as its general engineering consultant for rebuild of Baltimore bridge that collapsed after cargo ship collision.Just 10 months after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), owner, selected Bridging Maryland Partnership — a joint venture that includes WSP — to provide general engineering consultant services for the reconstruction of the strategically significant bridge.The $75 million contract with the WSP-led joint venture, including engineering firms Rummel, Klepper & Kahl (RK&K); and Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT); was approved on Jan. 8 by the Maryland Board of Public Works.

10 Jan 2025

A Deep Dive into Dredging with DCA’s Doyle

DB Avalon, Curtin Maritime, Houston Ship Channel 2024 (c) Curtin Maritime

There’s more to domestic dredging than meets the eye. Dredging Contractors of America CEO Bill Doyle is just the guy tell you why.William P. Doyle serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA). DCA represents the dredging industry on key issues before Congress and is an active partner to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public port authorities, state and local governments, as well as allied construction and maritime organizations.Immediately prior to this appointment, Mr. Doyle served as the Port of Baltimore’s Chief Executive for three years.

01 Nov 2024

The Baltimore Bridge Incident Challenges the Future of Maritime Law

Glosten played a key role in the clean-up of the Baltimore bridge collapse.
Image courtesy Glosten

On March 26, 2024, the Dali container ship crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in the loss of six lives. In June, the federal government announced that it had spent approximately $100 million to remove the wreckage and reopen the Fort McHenry Shipping Channel, which had been closed for nearly three months.In response, the Department of Justice has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the ship's owners, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, accusing them of gross negligence.

29 Oct 2024

US Awards Nearly $3 Billion for Clean Port Projects

© harshavardhan / Adobe Stock

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a $3 billion investment from his Inflation Reduction Act to improve the country's port infrastructure.The investment includes $147 million in awards for the Maryland Port Administration, which owns the Port of Baltimore, the White House said in a statement.The funding will be used to create union jobs and upgrade port infrastructure to cleaner equipment, the statement added.The announcement comes after the three day port strike on the U.S.

25 Oct 2024

US Judge Approves Shipping Companies' Settlement with DOJ Over Baltimore Bridge Collapse

(Photo: Brandon Giles / U.S. Coast Guard)

A U.S. judge approved on Friday a $102 million settlement by the companies that owned and operated the ship that struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six people.The payment, approved by U.S. District Judge James Bredar, resolves the U.S. government's claims after the Justice Department filed a civil claim in September seeking $103 million from two Singaporean companies, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited.A spokesperson for the companies said on Friday they had agreed to pay even though they deny liability.

24 Oct 2024

Dali Owner to Pay US $102 Million Over Baltimore Bridge Collapse

(Photo: Dylan Burnell / U.S. Army Coprs of Engineers)

The owner and operator of the cargo ship that struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six people, have agreed to pay $102 million to the federal government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.The department in September filed a civil claim seeking $103 million from two Singaporean companies, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited. The claim was intended to recoup the money the U.S. government spent responding to the disaster…

01 Oct 2024

ARC Adds RoRo Vessel ARC Endeavor to US-flag Fleet

(Photo: American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group)

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC) announced it has added the roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel ARC Endeavor to its U.S.-flag fleet.The ship was reflagged to American registry on September 27 as the 10th U.S.-flag Ro-Ro vessel in ARC’s fleet. The reflag was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Port of Baltimore, Md.“ARC has consistently invested in new tonnage and this latest Ro-Ro is the ninth ship we have brought into the American fleet since 2016. ARC Endeavor further strengthens ARC’s position as a leading logistics company and the largest U.S.

24 Sep 2024

Maryland Sues Dali Owner, Operator Over Baltimore Bridge Collapse

(Photo: Christopher Rosario / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The state of Maryland on Tuesday filed civil claims against the owner and operator of the cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six people and paralyzing a major transportation artery for the U.S. Northeast.The lawsuit seeks damages from two Singaporean companies that are the registered owner of the Dali cargo ship, Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, and its manager, Synergy Marine Group, for the cost of the bridge, cleanup efforts, environmental claims and other costs.

20 Sep 2024

Families of Workers Killed in Baltimore Bridge Tragedy Sue Dali Owner, Operator

(Photo: Brandon Giles / U.S. Coast GUard)

The families of the six workers who died in the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore filed lawsuits on Friday against the owner and operator of the cargo ship that struck the bridge.The lawsuits filed in Maryland federal court by the families of Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Miguel Angel Luna, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval and Jose Mynor Lopez seek unspecified damages from the registered owner of the ship…

18 Sep 2024

US Sues Containership Dali Owner for Baltimore Bridge Destruction

(Photo: Carmen Caver / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday filed a civil claim seeking $103 million from the two Singaporean companies that owned and operated the container ship that in March toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six people and paralyzing a major transportation artery for the U.S. Northeast.The department is seeking to recover from Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited the money the U.S. government spent in responding to the disaster…

26 Aug 2024

Reopening the Channel: A Look-back at the Key Bridge Accident Response

(Photo: Dylan Burnell / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

“The enormity of this disaster is hard to imagine without seeing it in person…It may sound dramatic but given the wreckage field created by the collapsed bridge, the environment divers are working in, and the dangers posed to them, is like cleaning the site of 9/11 with blinders on.” - Rick Benoit, Emergency Management specialist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) North Atlantic Division (NAD), from USACE news report.Col. Estee Pinchasin is commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District.

21 Aug 2024

Marsh Launches $50M Port Blockage Insurance Facility

Marsh launched a $50 million port blockage insurance facility, created by the company following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and subsequent disruption at the Port of Baltimore. Source: USACE

Marsh launched a $50 million port blockage insurance facility, covering shipping ports and terminals around the world.Created by Marsh following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and subsequent disruption at the Port of Baltimore, the insurance facility can be purchased independently or used to supplement existing cover. Available to Marsh clients globally, it is specifically designed to provide clients with cover for loss of revenue caused by third-party accidents such as a vessel sinking in a channel…

15 Jul 2024

CBP Cracking Down on Maritime Auto Theft

(Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Each year, criminals try to smuggle countless stolen vehicles through U.S. ports, attempting to load them onto merchant vessels for destinations overseas.The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been cracking down on these efforts. During fiscal year 2023 (Oct.1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023), CBP recovered 1,316 stolen vehicles nationally before they could be exported from the United States—an increase of about 6.5%.To help stop the thieves, CBP performs rigorous import and export examinations.

10 Jun 2024

Baltimore Port Key Channel Reopens

U.S. Army photo by Bobby Petty

Federal agencies said on Monday they have restored full access for commercial maritime transit through the Port of Baltimore after the removal of 50,000 tons of debris from the March 26 collapse of the Key Bridge.The cargo ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March in Baltimore, killing six people and paralyzing a major transportation artery for the U.S. Northeast. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said a survey on Monday certified the riverbed as safe for transit…

07 Jun 2024

Final Truss Blocking Fort McHenry Federal Channel Removed

Source: Keybridgeresponse2024

Ten weeks after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, salvage crews successfully removed the final large steel truss segment blocking the 700-foot-wide Fort McHenry Federal Channel on June 3-4.Using concrete breakers, underwater surveys, and oxyacetylene torches, they separated tons of concrete roadway, cable, and steel rebar from "Section 4C" while removing debris with clamshell dredges.On May 20, Unified Command had cleared the Federal Channel to a width of 400 feet and a depth of 50 feet, allowing deep-draft commercial vessels to access the Port of Baltimore.

28 May 2024

Unified Command Continues to Clear Key Bridge Wreckage

Source: Maryland State Police Aviation Command

These new photos, courtesy of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, show the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the shrinking amount of steel wreckage remaining in Baltimore’s Fort McHenry Federal Channel.Unified Command cleared a 400-foot-wide swath of the federal channel May 20, permitting all pre-collapse, deep-draft commercial vessels transit of the Port of Baltimore.Unified Command continues to clear wreckage from the bottom of the Patapsco River, projecting to fully restore the Fort McHenry Federal Channel to its original 700-foot width and 50-foot depth by June 8-10.

20 May 2024

Containership That Took Down Baltimore Bridge Refloated & Towed from Channel

(Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

Recovery teams refloated a large containership impeding shipping in the Port of Baltimore early on Monday and began pulling it free of the main channel, two months after the vessel crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge and caused the span to collapse.Tugboats were leading the Dali to a local marine terminal after a successful effort to make the container ship buoyant at about 6:40 a.m. EDT (1040 GMT), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on social media platform X.The removal…

16 May 2024

Video: Wreckage Removal Needed Before Dali Refloat

Source: Keybridgeresponse2024

Unified Command officials continue to evaluate the M/V Dali in preparation for refloating the vessel and clearing the channel.Officials have evaluated sonar and lidar imagery but are awaiting results from a dive survey before proceeding with plans to refloat and move the Dali to Seagirt Marine Terminal in the Port of Baltimore.The diver inspection is a necessary step in the complicated process of reopening the Fort McHenry Federal Channel in a manner that mitigates risk to the…

13 May 2024

Collapsed Baltimore Bridge Blasted into Pieces

Source: USACE

U.S. crews in Baltimore set off controlled explosions on Monday to allow them to remove a portion of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the bow of the massive container ship that toppled the span in March.The detonations were meant to break the bridge's truss into small sections, enabling salvage crews to use cranes and barges to haul away the twisted metal wreckage, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. The work, originally planned for Sunday, was delayed because of weather conditions.The U.S.

13 May 2024

Salvors Set to Blast Collapsed Baltimore to Pieces

Salvors prepare charges for upcoming precision cuts to remove section 4 from the port side of the bow of the containership Dali on May 7, 2024 (Photo: Christopher Rosario / USACE)

U.S. crews in Baltimore plan to set off controlled explosions on Monday to allow them to remove a portion of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the bow of the massive container ship that toppled the span in March.The detonations will break the bridge's truss into small sections, enabling salvage crews to use cranes and barges to haul away the twisted metal wreckage, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. The work had been planned for Sunday but it was delayed because of weather conditions.Afterwards…

12 May 2024

Body Camera Video Captures First Reactions to Baltimore Bridge Collapse

(Photo: Theodore C. Lee / U.S. Navy)

Body camera video captured the shocked reactions of first responders in the aftermath of the collapse of a Baltimore bridge in March in which six men were killed.The recordings, obtained by local media on Friday, offer a snapshot of the incredulity of officers from the Maryland Natural Resources Police as they approached the site where the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed."Dude, this is fucking bad, like there is no bridge," one person can be heard in the video…

10 May 2024

Stranded Coal Ship Departs Baltimore as Dali Salvage Work Continues

(Photo: Dylan Burnell / USACE)

A coal ship stranded at the Port of Baltimore set sail for Singapore this week as crews work to remove the Dali container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse and block access to the port.The Liberian-flagged JY River exited the port via a temporary channel on Thursday, according to LSEG data and a source familiar with the ship's movements.The ship was stuck at the port after the March 26 bridge collapse that killed six construction workers and halted traffic to the trade hub that accounted for 28% of U.S.

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