Lewis Campion, president and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, spoke about the recovery and impact on the trucking industry from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Royal Caribbean International plans to resume cruises from Baltimore, Maryland, later this month, with waterways in and out of the busy port reopened to a depth of 45 feet on Tuesday.
The news comes nearly two months after the container ship Dali crashed into the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, sending the structure crashing into the Patapsco River below and onto the ship.
On Monday, crews used explosives to destroy the largest remaining section of the bridge over Dali, dropping pieces of metal into the water. Crew members were expected to assess remaining bridge debris near the stranded ship before refloating the ship and moving it out of the Channel.
Sufficient structures have been removed to resume access to and from Port Baltimore, and on Monday the U.S. Coast Guard closed Fort McHenry’s restricted shipping lanes to 45 feet of water available to commercial vessels daily from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. It has restarted.
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Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas cruise ship, currently sailing off the coast of France, is scheduled to depart from Baltimore, Maryland, on May 25th. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Port of Baltimore shared the news on Facebook, saying that due to overhead power lines, the waterway has a horizontal clearance of 350 feet and a vertical clearance of 214 feet, but as salvage operations continue in the area, the depth will increase. He said the width could increase.
Still, passage through the strait is at the discretion of the Coast Guard based on weather conditions and salvage operations.
The restart means cruise ships like Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas will resume operations.
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Salvage workers work to remove debris after the cargo ship Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and collapsed on April 2, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Getty Images)
On May 25, Vision of the Seas departs Baltimore for a five-night voyage to Bermuda.
“Royal Caribbean International looks forward to returning to the Port of Baltimore,” a Royal Caribbean International spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Vision of the Seas is scheduled to sail as scheduled on Saturday, May 25th, after completing a previously scheduled dry dock in the Bahamas.”
| ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R.C.L. | royal caribbean group | 140.64 | -0.16 | -0.11% |
| CCL | Carnival Co., Ltd. | 14.89 | +0.38 | +2.62% |
The Port of Baltimore expressed excitement over the return of cruise ships to and from the city in a social media post.
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The remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge jut out from the Patapsco River. (Michael A. McCoy of The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“This will be the first cruise to depart from Baltimore since the Key Bridge Incident,” the post reads. “Are you as excited as we are? If you’ve never cruised from Baltimore before, come find out why Baltimore is the best cruise port on the East Coast. Baltimore is back !”
Another cruise line, Carnival Cruise Lines, also offers sailings from the Port of Baltimore. After the Key Bridge collapse, the company moved Carnival Legend operations to Norfolk, Virginia, so it could continue rescue and repair efforts at the disaster site.
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Fox News Digital asked Carnival if it plans to resume operations out of Baltimore, but did not immediately receive a response.
