Freight News

Baltimore Shipping Channel Restored

[ August 8, 2024   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving has restored the Fort McHenry Federal Channel to its original operational dimensions of 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep for commercial maritime transit through the Port of Baltimore, 11 weeks after a containership collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

            Since March 26, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving worked to clear the Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage and move the 10,000-TEU Dali from the federal channel. Following the removal of wreckage at the 50-foot mudline, the Unified Command performed a survey of the federal channel June 10, certifying the riverbed as safe for transit. Surveying and removal of steel at and below the 50-foot mudline will continue to ensure future dredging operations are not impacted.

            The Unified Command safely moved the Dali on May 20 and widened the Limited Access Channel to 400 feet May 21, permitting all pre-collapse, deep-draft commercial vessels to transit through the Port of Baltimore. Now, the fully operational channel enables the flexibility to regain two-way traffic and cancel the additional safety requirements that were implemented because of the reduced channel width.

            “We are proud of the unified efforts that fully reopened the federal channel to port operations,” said Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, commanding general of USACE. “The partnerships that endured through this response made this pivotal mission successful.”

Response Effort

Fully restoring the federal channel to its original width and depth involved the removal of about 50,000 tons of bridge wreckage from the Patapsco River. At its highest point, the Unified Command, consisting of six agencies, led the response efforts among about 56 federal, state, and local agencies, represented by 1,587 individual responders.

            Additionally, about 500 specialists from around the world operated a fleet of 18 barges, 22 tugboats, 13 floating cranes, 10 excavators, and four survey boats. Subject matter experts from all over the U.S. also provided essential technical knowledge to the Unified Command.

            “We’ve cleared the Fort McHenry Federal Channel for safe transit. USACE will maintain this critical waterway as we have for the last 107 years,” said Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District commander. “I cannot overstate how proud I am of our team. It was incredible seeing so many people from different parts of our government, from around our country and all over the world, come together in the Unified Command and accomplish so much in this amount of time.”

            The wreckage will continue to be transported to Sparrows Point for follow-on processing. Follow-on work in the channel from this point on is part of routine maintenance, ensuring future dredging operations will not be impacted.

            “Although the overarching goal to restore full operational capacity to the federal channel was successful, each day, we thought of those who lost their lives, their families, and the workers impacted by this tragic event,” Pinchasin said. “Not a day went by that we didn’t think about all of them, and that kept us going.”

            AAL Shipping’s AAL Dalian was the first multipurpose vessel to discharge project cargo in Baltimore since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse was cleared.

            The Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command included: U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, Witt O’Brien’s representing Synergy Marine and Maryland State Police.

SIDE Box

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Hed: Channel Update

Temporary Alternate Channels

            • Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel remains open 24 hours daily to non-deep draft commercial vessels with a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 135 feet.

            • Hawkins Point Temporary Alternate Channel remains open 24 hours daily to non-deep draft commercial vessels with a controlling depth of 14 feet, a 280-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 124 feet.

            • Sollers Point Temporary Alternate Channel remains open 24 hours daily to all traffic, to include recreational vessels, with a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 95 feet.

Francis Scott Key Bridge Safety Zone

            The safety zone established for all navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay within a 2,000-yard radius of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. Except for vessels transiting in one of the four marked channels, no vessel or person will be permitted to enter the safety zone without first obtaining permission from the Coast Guard.

            • The Maryland Pilots will continue their regular coordination of deep draft traffic and are available at (410) 342-6013.

            • All vessels transiting the safety zone must remain within the marked channels and well clear of vessels engaged in salvage and safety operations.

Tags: Port of Baltimore