Posted on 04/26/2024 3:49:03 PM PDT by george76
‘Ambitious’ Limited Access Channel Opens Less than a month after the Dali rammed a pillar of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse, a portion of the federal channel has been opened to deep draft ships.
The opening of the 35-foot-deep Limited Access Channel allowed the departure of some of the ships trapped in Baltimore Harbor. The first ship through was the general cargo ship Balsa 94, bound for Canada, followed by the cargo ship Saimaagracht and car carrier Carmen. More transits are expected.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the LAC is open to scheduled passages for a limited number of commercial vessels into and out of the Port of Baltimore. The channel will remain open until Monday or Tuesday, at which point it will close again until May 10 to allow continuing salvage ops as part of the effort to open the main 50-foot channel.
The opening of the LAC comes after the USACE promised the partial reopening of the main federal Fort McHenry Shipping Channel by the end of April, a promise that was deemed “ambitious” considering the scope of the work involved.
“We’re working to strike a balance between enabling temporary access to support commercial activity and undertaking necessary measures to fully reopen the Fort McHenry Channel,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. David O’Connell, Captain of the Port and Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Key Bridge Response 2024. “This limited access deep draft channel will provide a window for five of the deep draft vessels currently unable to depart the port as well as some smaller deep draft vessels to transit. Meanwhile, the Unified Command personnel continue to work full speed ahead to safely and efficiently finish operations.”
At this point I expect the port to be fully reopened. I wasn't so sure before.
But I expect a new bridge will never be built, though plenty of money will be spent on the project of rebuilding it.
The Chinese Communists have a good recent record of building port facilities in Africa. Maybe they'll do it in exchange for a cut of the port revenue. That's their usual deal.
I’m looking at the picture of the Balsa 94. It is riding high in the water and is being carefully controlled by tugs in front and back. Don’t think there is much room for error in that LAC.
The dual forward-aft tugs is a requirement during the temporary opening of the temporary channel.
“...followed by the cargo ship Saimaagracht and car carrier Carmen.”
Hopefully not carrying EVs or they’ll be back to square one in clearing the channel.
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