A floating crane that officials said was one of the largest on the East Coast arrived at the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore on Friday, part of a large flotilla being assembled to clear debris that has crippled one of the nation’s largest ports and spread economic pain.
The Chesapeake 1000, which can lift 1,000 tons, will play a featured role in the cleanup from the disaster, but Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said Friday it will be joined by 10 other cranes, 10 tugs, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats that will arrive over the next several days.
But even as officials raced to restore access to the Port of Baltimore, which generates thousands of jobs and handles tens of billions of dollars worth of cargo each year, the Chesapeake 1000 sat idle Friday, underscoring the complexity, length and danger of the operation.
Officials said they couldn’t move forward with clearing debris until they had finished a careful assessment of the scene, where massive trusses sit twisted in 50-foot water and a large section of the Key Bridge is draped precariously across the bow of the cargo ship that struck it Tuesday……
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/29/baltimore-bridge-collapse-crane-cleanup/