Containership moved from Baltimore bridge site: Update

Includes information on resumption of all vessel traffic.

Deep-draft commercial vessels can resume movement in and out of the Port of Baltimore following today's removal of the containership that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, according to officials.

The 116,851dwt Dali had been pinned under the wreckage of the bridge since 26 March, when it lost power and hit the span, sending it into the water. Earlier this month the sections of bridge still on the ship were removed and on Monday the ship was refloated and relocated.

With the Dali relocated all movements by deep-draft vessels that would normally travel to and from the port could resume, according to the federal Unified Command overseeing the response. Remnants of the bridge still need to be removed from the seabed before the commercial channel is restored to its full width.

The bridge collapse blocked traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore, which is a major coal export and automobile import terminal. Several small, shallower channels had been open to allow some vessel traffic, but not the largest ships that normally make call in Baltimore.

The US Army Corps of Engineers is seeking to have the main channel, with a depth of 15.24m (50 feet), fully reopened by the end of May.

By Gabriel Squitieri