Second temporary alternate channel opened around Key Bridge wreckage

The Captain of the Port (COTP) established a second temporary alternate channel on the southwest side of the main channel near Hawkins Point in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge for commercially essential vessels, according to the Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command on Tuesday (2 April).

The action is part of a phased approach to opening the main channel. The second temporary channel is marked with government lighted aids to navigation and will be limited to transit at the discretion of the COTP and during daylight hours only. 

It has a controlling depth of 14 feet, a 280-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 124 feet.

This comes following Singapore-registered container vessel Dali crashing into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on 26 March. 

“The opening of these two alternate channels and transit of critical response resources, as well as the first commercial traffic movements through the area, is a significant milestone in our response efforts,” said U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Baxter Smoak, operations section chief of the Key Bridge Response 2024. “Our number one priority remains the opening of the deep draft channel. We are simultaneously focused on opening additional routes of increased capacity as we move forward.”

The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. Members of the public may not enter the safety zone unless authorized by the COTP or designated representative. Those in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or designated representative.

The COTP issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) via VHF-FM marine channel 16. Mariners are requested to monitor channel 16 for the latest information.

On 1 April, the Unified Command announced tugboat Crystal Coast, pushing a fuel barge, transited the first temporary alternate channel created by the Key Bridge Response Unified Command and is the first vessel to use the channel since the bridge collapsed into the federal waterway. The COPT established the temporary alternate channel near Sollers Point for commercially-essential vessels.

The Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command includes the US Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers and Witt O’Brien’s representing Synergy Marine, the ship’s management company. 

Related: MPA: Singapore-registered ship in Baltimore bridge crash passed previous foreign port state inspections
Related: Baltimore bridge crash: Safety investigation to include contaminated bunker fuel as possible cause
Related: Baltimore bridge collapse: FuelTrust highlights bunkering activities of Singapore-registered “Dali”

Photo credit: Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command
Published: 3 April 2024