A Thai-flagged vessel is among four cargo ships that have exited the Port of Baltimore via a temporary channel, after being stranded for a month following the collapse of a major bridge.
The MV Phatra Naree, a bulk carrier owned by SET-listed Precious Shipping Plc, sailed out of the harbour via a new channel that is 91 metres wide and 11 metres deep, according to ship-tracking data.
Others using the channel were the Panama-flagged Balsa 94, a general cargo carrier; the Netherlands-flagged cargo vessel Saimaagracht; and the car carrier Carmen owned by the Scandinavian shipping firm Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
Large ship traffic to and from the port, the busiest in the United States for auto shipments, has been severely restricted since the container ship Dali lost power and smashed into the bridge on March 26, bringing it down and blocking the channel. The accident killed six bridge workers.
The Dutch-flagged Frisian Ocean, a general cargo ship, was among the vessels that used the new channel to enter the port before it temporarily closes on Monday so that workers can remove the Dali.
“We’re working to strike a balance between enabling temporary access to support commercial activity and undertaking necessary measures to fully reopen the Fort McHenry Channel,” said US Coast Guard Capt David O’Connell, the on-site coordinator for the Key Bridge response team.
The reopening of the port’s main channel remains on track for the end of May, officials said.
During the first nine months of 2023, the Port of Baltimore was the second-biggest port for US coal exports, behind Norfolk, Virginia.
Some barges carrying agricultural goods, coal and metals will continue to have access to the port via a more shallow channel that opened during the weekend.