LIVE: Watch the first vessel sail through the limited access channel at Key Bridge response site-…

The first vessel sails through the fourth, deeper limited access channel at the Key Bridge response site. Follow live updates on 11 News, the WBAL-TV app and WBALTV.com

[@user-eu9lo9xs2i]

As an old sea dog I can imagine how happy and grateful the crew were when selected to be the first out. Good job to all that made this happen.

[@pumpupjam9648]

Excellent! 35 ft deep better than nothing! They can go through that channel! Super job the crews working day n night to get this fixed! Shout out for all involved at Port of Baltimore!!!

[@bhuld0115]

Congrats and thank you to all the individuals and agencies that made this happen. Great job!!

[@stevesmith6236]

I'm always impressed by the way such "small" boats (tugs) can easily move MUCH larger ships, barges, etc. Tugs are awesome!

[@sbrunner69]

That ship is moving under its own power. The tugs are just hanging on each end in case they are needed.

[@stevesmith6236]

@@sbrunner69 Ok . I looked at the stern of the ship to see evidence of prop rotation and couldn't see any.

[@nboddie1036]

@@stevesmith6236 8:24 you can see evidence of the prop tuning. It's a slow speed exit...

[@Raiders33]

You can see slack in the tug lines. Tugs have to hope they can react fast enough to save the ship from hitting a pier in that short distance.

[@mrcoz1764]

@@stevesmith6236 If you watch the video carefully,,,you can see heat and smoke out the stacks

[@pibbles-a-plenty1105]

You will notice the line from the tug to the bow of the ship is not taught. The tug is not pulling the ship through the channel. The tub will only move to steer the ship if it strays from the center of the channel. It's a precaution to prevent the possibility of a collision.

[@cornelapostolescu661]

I'm impressed for the first small vessel sail with great assistance and help of 2 TUGS !

[@Raiders33]

Yea, 2 tugs for a bulk cargo ship that's *1/17th* the gross tonnage of the MV Dali.

[@JLange642]

The regulations for this new temporary channel REQUIRES 2 tugs, one fore and one aft, for ALL vessels passing through it.

[@VedaSay]

Excellent effort by all at the site ensure the economy keeps rolling.

[@jenniferlpga]

This is such a great country.

[@marks6385]

It used to be before Democrats ruined it.

[@truesouthdesigns4304]

That is great news. I hope that from now on, all large vessels that can damage a bridge will be required to have tug boats lead them under bridges.

[@Raiders33]

Tugs may not have been able to prevent the Dali impact and won't eliminate the risk.

[@bobf1174]

And in the daytime. No more nighttime departures

[@velchuck]

That’s great. Tugs at both ends. They weren’t taking any chances!

[@Raiders33]

Not comparable to the Dali incident. And 2 tugs are the USCG requirement for the temporary Limited Access Channel.

[@clementmascarenhas673]

Congratulations to all the workers n team out there to get the port open for business..

[@gobbletegook]

It always makes you think that what we once took for granted can be gone in a minute. I never really thought of the commerce that such a disaster can change...much more than just a road detour when a bridge is out and you have to drive further.

[@Raiders33]

Then again, the I-895 tunnel (under the same river) is only 3 1/2 miles north of the Key Bridge.

[@maureenball6733]

All this reminds me how skilled are the crews of tugs. So many variants they must deal with.

[@johncamp2567]

Wonderful sight!! Congratulations to all!

[@CAPTJohn47]

If you ever wondered just how huge the Dali was, by comparison the Balsa 94 (at least 600 feet long with her tugs) looks like a bathtub toy. Balsa 94 completely disappeared for around two minutes as she passed behind Dali 😲

[@Raiders33]

Balsa 94 is 1/3rd the length and 1/17th the gross tonnage of the Dali.

[@mrcoz1764]

I guess so,,,the dali is right in the fore ground of the video,,,the balsa is probably 100 yds behind her

[@Noone-jn3jp]

LFG!!! Great job to all the people working hard

[@kevinknight6302]

Wow. And a week ahead of schedule

[@gwenr.8558]

Happy to see this progress.

[@jeffreysearle2996]

What a great accomplishment

[@charlestosi5199]

Bravo to all of the hands who made this happen.

[@williamkirkland7002]

Well done good and faithful servants; well Done. ✝🛐✝

[@curiouscat3384]

Bravo all the hard working people who made this happen!

[@RobRose-th3ib]

Nicely Done!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, for the update on the rebuilding of the Key Bridge ❤

[@Islamisthecultofsin]

Eventually they will form a committee to appoint a committee that will look at bridge proposals.

[@jeffreymiller6847]

cant rebuilt till the old bridge is cleared and demolished your looking at 5 years at least.

[@garydillon3960]

Thoughts and Prayers are with you all.

[@patrickwentz8413]

Good luck on your voyage to Canada, and god bless Balsa 94!

[@capt.kenbaker5452]

They finally got smart and had tugs drive the ships through the bridge area !!! Should have been the policy to begin with !!!!!

[@Raiders33]

The ship was under power. The tug lines had slack in them. It's a temporary USCG requirement for 2 escort tugs in the temporary channel.

[@alexpocs8649]

American initivity, great job, one and all!!!!

[@DavidTablet-nt8qy]

Great job to all who worked on this job.and god bless lost soul's and thank you very much.

[@kimberlyjohnson6352]

That is a beautiful. Thank you to all involved. Let’s not lose track of our fall workers. Let’s all keeping praying for them to come hone to their families. Xoxo.

[@marcmayou1422]

yea nice to see this progress

[@Raiders33]

Nice to see that WBAL is giving high school videographers a chance to show their skills.

[@anthonypaul9693]

😂😂

[@RandomDudeOne]

It's actually quite well shot. It is unedited footage, the jerky camera movements are cut out in the edited version.

[@Raiders33]

@@RandomDudeOne Well, I was trying to get the name on the McAllister tug at the bow through the entire video, and the only clear frame I could read it at was 10:31. Just sayin...

[@brianvittachi6869]

The opening of this channel was relatively quick considering the scale and complexity of the operation to remove the broken pieces of the bridge. Well done all those involved.

[@Sampson2833]

I no longer live in Balmer, regardless this is AMAZING to see!

[@saeidmalekzadeh671]

what a great job 👏 👏👏

[@user-yl7qt4jm2d]

The weather is better here now looks calm out there top

[@lesbendo6363]

First of many! Gooe work gentleman! 🇨🇦

[@magpie9223]

Wonderful to see Yay!

[@ginan.y.6373]

Good 2 see it opening, 👌

[@bobdickerson3434]

This ship was one of many stuck at the port when the bridge fell.

[@clydecessna737]

Hooray!

[@reneeparker7475]

WTG to the salvage team and Baltimore!

[@debbiebermudez5890]

Mr. B. Here ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍. Good morning ! Outstanding 👍👍👍👍👍

[@davebloggs]

nice to see things moving again great job by all involved.

[@chuckyc6912]

Nice to see things on the move

[@yarnycat_crochet]

Woooo hooo 🥳 🥳 🎉🎉

[@user-cc8cd5lu3w]

Good news!!!

[@billbrown7583]

Great news

[@mellissadalby1402]

Wow, the leading Tug is pulling backwards. I bet it is harder to pilot the tug going backwards because you don't have the quick water from your "wheels" washing across your rudder, so you probably need to use your two engines (you had better have two in this situation) for directional control in reverse. MUCH SKILL in action there! Excellent job there Captains!

[@Raiders33]

The April Moran McAllister tug is a Z drive.

[@daverobinson6110]

Thank you for no audio commentary! The vdeo says it all...

[@robertoruiz7069]

The healing has begun.Thank's to the workers and coordinators for doing a job that seemed near impossible at first.WE{the USA}when pushed can work together for the betterment of our NATION.Now if we can only get the dems to get along with the reps,to keep our nation safe and prospering instead of the coarse we are now on,we''ll have something great AGAIN.

[@kens32052]

Looks like they are using an empty ship first to see how it goes.

[@jeffdragna316]

Amazing how they build these huge ships

[@stevesmith6236]

Very pleasing to see that! Couple things, 1) why is the tug in reverse while pulling the ship? 2) obviously the towed ship is empty sitting so high in the water 3) when fully loaded sure hope there is sufficient distance under the keel for it to leave the harbor!

[@Raiders33]

1) Because the April McAllister towing tug's Z Drive rudderpropellers are at the stern of the vessel, which turn the tug most effectively that way. IF the Balsa 94 would've lost power / steerage, the April McAllister would've brought her line taut and tried to correct the error by pulling to the opposing side before the ship hit anything.

[@CAPTJohn47]

It's leaving.

[@golfnut2965]

Usually, ships ride about at that level, irregardless of cargo capacity. When going to sea, they take on sea water to "sink" the ship to make it more sea worthy. Before entering the Chesapeake Bay, they are required by law to dump all ballast to prevent unwanted species invading the Chesapeake.

[@petrolpete100]

The ship leaving is empty?

[@tkyap2524]

👋👍- keep it up.

[@dannyperrino5308]

Looks like the ship was heading out of the harbor. Been stuck there for over a month.

[@tammycarr3777]

I love tugboats. I don’t know why I just do.

[@mrcoz1764]

Whats with the bite mark on the front of the ship ??

[@pelican19]

I'd like to know that too.

[@hastuart9639]

Bulbous bows come in all,shapes and sizes

[@Raiders33]

@@hastuart9639 I kept looking for a "Flying Tiger" insignia or something.

[@KeithRowley]

Only appropriate that the first big ship to pass thru BALtimore's new channel is the BALsa, with coverage by WBAL.

[@Raiders33]

And flagged in Panama, and managed out of Japan...

[@daverobinson6110]

​@@Raiders33that's a lot of pan😂

[@Raiders33]

@@daverobinson6110 PAN! PAN!... err, umm, Sécurité! Sécurité! Sécurité! in this case. 🚢😁

[@harrykeel8557]

Never underestimate the will of the American people.

[@Raiders33]

Or a blank state and federal government check.

[@daverobinson6110]

​@@Raiders33they will see to it that lloyds of London pays up

[@Raiders33]

@@daverobinson6110 Dali's insurance company is Britannia P&I in Luxembourg. 😉😁

[@darlenewillbrandt1628]

👏 amazing

[@valeriegoode9762]

Wonderful.

[@chrismaik8681]

Do the balsa nova.

[@williamkirkland7002]

Tugs should always be used to guide any ship between the bridge uprights. This should be mandatory for such a vital shipping lane....also build two separate bridge spans for to keep vehicle traffic moving.

[@brianpmessier4977]

TWO tugs AND a pilot boat.... If only that had been in place BEFORE this happened

[@Raiders33]

Can't compare it to the Dali incident. Too many ATD tug "IF's" had to happen to save the Dali. This Balsa 94 bulk cargo ship is only 1/3rd the length of the Dali and *1/17th* the gross tonnage.

[@brianpmessier4977]

@@Raiders33 good point. and has 2 tugs, so the Dali would have needed at least 4, BUT..... we now know none was a bad plan lol

[@Raiders33]

@@brianpmessier4977 From reading tug analysis, even 4 ATD tugs with correctly equipped and trained crews may not have been able to react and save the Dali from impact at that exact time, at that exact location, with those exact conditions, in 4 minutes and 12 seconds with that yaw rate of 5° per minute.

[@brianpmessier4977]

@@Raiders33 Im no expert but I cling to the belief that had there been at least 2 alongside at the time, they might have at least been able to avoid it getting outside the channel so much and striking the way it did. Its all water under the bridge now, pun intended, but I am 1000% sure there will be changes made in procedures after this.

[@Raiders33]

@brianpmessier4977 A *FEW* tug captains have written they could have helped steer, not stop, the Dali. BUT, they'd definitely need to be an Indirect ATD tug attached to the stern, not along side, with a trained crew on the method and ruggedized tug equipment. I would not be surprised if the Port does NOT require escort tugs in the future.

[@LovinLnCottage]

America strong! It’s amazing how fast things get done when Democrats are in leadership positions.

[@philipjones9458]

Ha ha very drone.

[@JeffJohnson-1982]

👍👍👍👍

[@Raiders33]

Last time they were in charge, MarylanDems doled out at least $85 million dollars in fraud. Yea, "amazing." 🙄

[@Raiders33]

@@philipjones9458 Or Trone.

[@ginan.y.6373]

Only in America 🇺🇸

[@matelanmungal9807]

That ship real empty

[@rat8356]

the upkeep on the Balsa 94 sure looks top notch

[@mrcoz1764]

Loved that paintjob,,and the front end work

[@Raiders33]

It's only 4 years old, built in 2019.

[@gregnewton2377]

This vessel is "High and Dry" meaning no cargo, no real draft.

[@suegeorge8694]

I'm curious if anyone knows how many knots this new ship was traveling at. Just to have a comparison to how fast the Dali was going when it hit the bridge.

[@bobf1174]

Dali was going way too fast

[@suegeorge8694]

@@bobf1174 I know it was going too fast. I'm not familiar at all with nautical speeds. That's why I asked about the speed of the new ship. It's just to help me visualize and better understand what happened.

[@bobf1174]

1 knot equals 1.15 mph. Supposedly the Dali was 8-9 knots. If the Titanic wasn’t going so fast in the dark with a arrogant captain, it might of had enough time to turn away 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@suegeorge8694]

@@bobf1174 Thanks!

[@bostoncangrejo]

Notice that it is an empty vessel resulting in a reduced draft. It unloaded it's cargo in port and has been dying to break free.

[@1947maco]

They probably picked this ship as first because it is empty....Look how high she sits out of the water ?? Good to see though !!

[@user-gs6fq1jq8y]

After they get the bridge up running again ... They can always do it again...

[@waltkasak6631]

What about the Chesapeake Bay Bridges? Are they vulnerable?

[@Raiders33]

Yes.

[@GBFANMD]

Why are there no updates on the unrecovered workers? The ship is traveling right on top of them...

[@saiboogu]

... Because they're not yet recovered? What are you expecting different

[@BillO964]

Think crabs...those folks are gone. Besides that, they are dead and do not care what is passing above them do they? You cannot keep the port closed forever because someone died there.

[@pumpupjam9648]

They already found all the bodies. They found the last body missing last week. So all accounted for.

[@CAPTJohn47]

@@pumpupjam9648 I think there's still one unaccounted for. I might have missed an announcement.

[@mrcoz1764]

There`s a lot of crabs in the bay

[@DavidVanHelden1]

The ship looks empty ... can it go back through loaded ? ...

[@davidloomis5281]

Where’s the captains salute? 🎉

[@jeffdragna316]

Where were the tugs when the dali hit the bridge

[@NN-sj9fg]

Great - but she is empty.

[@user-gs7km7fl7n]

Finally using the tugs all the way out.

[@Raiders33]

It's a USCG requirement for this temporary limited access channel.

[@drummerdaveshouse5848]

So what was loaded on that vessel because you can’t really see anything or was this just an empty vessel to test the channel 1st?

[@hastuart9639]

Dali was doing 8 knots, I believe any ships passing through have a maximum speed of 5 knots until well clear.

[@donaldpickford6887]

Have all bodys of construction crews been recovered

[@tommunyon2874]

Riding high out of the water.

[@williamkirkland7002]

What cargo is on that vessal?

[@daverobinson6110]

Um she's empty, riding high

[@Raiders33]

@@daverobinson6110 A full load of dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) vapor. 😉

[@sharonkong1014]

👍

[@elainedaniels1081]

I see they are using tug boats. Why didn’t they with the Dali?

[@jeffdragna316]

Dali still floating with a huge hole in the bow 3 football fields long evergiven ship is 4 football fields long

[@MikeG42]

Arrrr matey's 😉

[@pennynickels5216]

😊😊😊

[@trama110]

AmericA! F**K Yeah!

[@JohnShinn1960]

👍🤠

[@aruppyne6417]

👍💕🌹

[@leovaldez5017]

Barko ng Abacast Shipping na mga Balsa!

[@jeffdragna316]

Dali done screwed up 😂

[@tobyfreeman7177]

Now this vessel has two tugs made fast one on the bow and the other on the stern, see how easy it’s achieved

[@Raiders33]

Can't compare it to the Dali incident. This Balsa 94 bulk cargo ship is 1/3rd the length of the Dali and *1/17th* the gross tonnage. The 2 tugs are a temporary USCG requirement.

[@jameslikens8394]

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY OR BALTO CIT Y

[@dozerblade]

Wonder why the tug boat is running backwards.

[@Raiders33]

Stern Z drives. And in physics, it's always easier to pull something than to push it.

[@mrcoz1764]

They are more powerful going backwards

[@robertamartinez8241]

Will it disrupt the job to find the other two men stuck in their trucks?!!! With all the moving of water near them.

[@reicewarren8873]

Lawmakers need to tell company owners to chill and relax before something else goes wrong. People are so thirsty for money and revenue that they are willing to put people's life in constant jeopardy. It makes no sense. Smh.