Milestone: 1st container ship arrives since Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
MSC Passion II arrived through one of four temporary channels established since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. It is carrying 1,000 containers.
![The first container ship, MSC Passion III, arrives at Seagirt Terminal at the Port of Baltimore. The ship carried nearly 1,000 containers.](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/04/29/USAT/73503741007-thumbnail-image-123650291-4.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
The first container ship has arrived at the Port of Baltimore a month after the cargo ship Dali lost power and rammed a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading to the collapse of the structure into the Patapsco River and killing six construction workers.
The Port of Baltimore posted on X that it had "another milestone" on Sunday after the first container ship arrived at Seagirt Terminal since the collapse.
MSC Passion II came through the "35-foot-deep temporary channel," the port said. "Nearly 1,000 containers handled by about 80 (International Longshoremen's Association Local 333) workers. We're getting there."
Fourth temporary channel closed to focus on 'removal of the Dali'
Temporary alternate channels were established when the bridge collapsed on March 26. Three temporary channels are currently open, while the fourth closed on Monday.
The U.S. Coast Guard closed the fourth channel, which is 35 feet deep, after it had been open since April 25. The channel is not expected to reopen until May 10, the port said..
The three channels that remain open are 20-, 14- and 11-foot deep, according to the port.
"The focus is on recovery, salvage and removal of the Dali from the main channel," the port said on X.
Port of Baltimore's permanent channel to reopen by end of May
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers anticipates that the Port of Baltimore's permanent 700-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel will reopen by the end of May, the port says.
"We continue to deeply appreciate everyone's patience as we continue to work through this unimaginable situation," the port said. "We remind everyone to keep their thoughts on the families that have suffered unreplaceable losses."
The bodies of four of the six dead construction workers have been recovered by authorities, while the other two have not been found.
Maynor Suazo Sandoval, 38; Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26; Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35; and Carlos Daniel Hernández, 24, were identified as the recovered bodies. The bodies of Miguel Luna and José Mynor López have not been found.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY