BALTIMORE, United States (EFE).— The largest crane on the east coast of the United States arrived yesterday on a barge to the city of Baltimore to remove the debris from the bridge that collapsed last Tuesday due to the collision of a ship, a accident that caused six deaths and multimillion-dollar losses.
The crane, which can lift up to 1,000 tons of weight, will be one of two that participate in the work of cleaning the canal from the remains of metal and concrete to which the bridge was reduced, indicated the governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, who assured that work is being done “at full speed” to reopen the canal and reactivate traffic.
The White House reported yesterday that President Joe Biden will visit the area next week.
Yesterday, Moore still did not dare to give a chronology of when the city, whose port remains closed, will be able to return to normal following the tragedy: “I can tell you that it will not be days, weeks or months” but that “this is going to take time.” ”.
Prior to the start of the removal, an evaluation of the debris is being carried out, which is considered “fundamental” before removing it from the water to determine the size in which the pieces of the bridge will have to be cut so that the cranes can lift them.
The portion of the bridge on top of the ship weighs between 3,000 and 4,000 tons, which is much more than the largest crane currently available can lift.
“When you have the opportunity to see those remains up close, you fully understand the enormity of the challenge,” the governor said.
Moore also indicated that as part of the work, more than 730 meters of barriers were placed to contain any possible pollution leak from the ship that impacted the bridge or its cargo.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 56 containers on the ship contain hazardous materials, mostly corrosive and flammable, as well as some ion batteries while 14 containers contain perfumes and soaps, among other items.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath yesterday detailed the progress made so far on authorities’ priority of reopening the channel.
There are three phases in this task: the first, reopening the shipping channel, which is what is being worked on; then remove the freighter and finally remove the bridge debris from the rest of the waterway.
As for the deceased, all of them Hispanic-American construction workers, the bodies of two of them were found this Wednesday. The efforts to recover the bodies of the other four are halted for now due to the presence of debris, but Moore assured that it is a priority.
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2024-04-05 07:12:43
