As workers continue their massive effort to reopen the main shipping channel at the Port of Baltimore following the March 26 bridge collapse there, a specially trained group of laborers is removing shipping containers filled with hazardous materials from the crippled M/V Dali containership still trapped at the site.
At the time that it struck the bridge, the 984-foot-long vessel was carrying nearly 4,700 containers, according to published reports. Removing many of those units is a critical part of the effort to gain access to the portion of the crumpled Key Bridge that now lies atop the ship.
In related work, contract salvage workers are using cranes and barges to pull bridge wreckage and debris from the Patapsco River, and to eventually remove the collapsed infrastructure that is draped over the bow of the ship, according to the federal Unified Command that is coordinating the various efforts.
As of April 11, approximately 38 containers had been removed from the Dali, but that task has been complicated by the nature of the materials inside. According to Unified Command, there are 56 total containers loaded on the vessel that contain hazardous materials, 14 of which were impacted by the fallen bridge. Those 14 boxes were assessed by an industrial hygienist for potential hazards, and found to hold 764 tons of soap products, perfume products, or “not otherwise specified” resin.
Since first responders have observed a sheen around the attending vessels, some of that material may be leaking out, so workers are conducting air monitoring on and around the vessel. At last report, no atmospheric hazards had been detected, but safety monitoring continues.
The workers assigned to remove those containers are specially trained members of the Baltimore affiliate of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), who plan to be on site at the Port of Baltimore for approximately three weeks, the union said. In preparation for the work, four of those workers, all members of LIUNA Local 710 and all Baltimore City residents, have passed a 40-hour hazardous waste class conducted at the Baltimore Laborers’ Training Center.
