Baltimore, MD, USA - May 7, 2024

The full reopening of the more than 200-metre-wide channel meant that crews had to remove about 50,000 tonnes of debris from the Patapsco River, according to Monday's press release from Unified Command, a group of agencies that led the response to the collapse.

That response included more than 2,000 personnel and subject matter experts, nearly two dozen tugboats, 13 floating cranes and 10 excavators, among other equipment.

The canal, which provides access to a key international cargo destination, was closed to shipping traffic on 26 March after a 96,000-tonne cargo ship lost power and struck one of the bridge's support columns, causing the structure to collapse.
The collapse, which was captured on video, triggered an inter-agency investigation into the causes of the disaster.

Recovery teams worked for weeks to remove the debris and recover the bodies of the victims, who were from Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala, although many had lived in Maryland for years. They were parents, partners, children and visionaries who left behind grieving communities and unfulfilled dreams.

The ship, a container ship named Dali, remained in the channel until it was removed on 20 May, after crews were able to remove a piece of the bridge that had been immobilising its bow. The removal of the ship allowed a temporary channel of more than 100 metres to be opened, and cruise ships were able to leave the port again at the end of May.

SHOTLIST:
1. Various of the destruction of the bridge (Mar 27, 2024);
2. Various from work to remove parts of the bridge (May 7, 2024).