How close are crews to moving the cargo ship that brought down the Key Bridge in Baltimore?

Follow WTOP’s latest coverage of the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse and ongoing recovery efforts

Salvage crews may be getting close to removing the collapsed portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that’s resting on top of a massive cargo ship in Baltimore, Maryland.

Crews are in the process of detailing what it will take to raise the section of the bridge that’s on top of the Dali, which caused the bridge to collapse in March after the collision.

The team working on the removal is currently meticulously analyzing things like weight shifts, hull damage and obstacles that are in the way.

In addition, special equipment has been brought in to closely monitor the positioning and movement of the ship and the bridge wreckage it’s in contact with. The equipment figures out how the ship is pitching and rolling with the tide and winds.

The Key Bridge Unified Command says they are using this equipment to ensure the safety of salvage crews as they carry out the complex process of removing the pieces of the bridge resting on the ship.

“We have a sensor measuring the relative position of the span on the ship so we can see, if for some reason, it starts to slip. We also have what are called strain gauges, which can measure, in real-time, the stress, while they are performing operations,” Unified Command contractor Rob Ruthledge said.

The section of bridge on top of the ship is estimated to weigh about 450 tons.