Largest crane on US eastern seaboard drafted in to help clear Baltimore bridge and ship wreckage
The largest crane on the US eastern seaboard has been drafted in to help clear the wreckage of Baltimore’s collapsed highway bridge.
The crane sits on a barge and can lift up to 1,000 tons, Maryland governor Wes Moore said on Friday.
It is one of at least two large cranes that will help clear the metal and concrete remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the cargo ship Dali that hit it earlier this week.
Mr Moore said the “best minds in the world” were working on the issue, but added: “We have a very long road ahead of us.
“This is about the nation’s economy – the port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in America.”
A crane at the collapsed Baltimore bridge. pic: AP
The cargo ship, almost as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall and carrying nearly 4,700 shipping containers, appears to have lost power before it struck a support pillar early on Tuesday.
Pic: David Adams/US Army Corps of Engineers
After it hit the pillar it sent out a mayday call and dropped its anchors, buying time for authorities to clear the bridge of vehicles.
They did not have time, however, to warn a crew of pothole-fixing construction workers, who fell about 56m into 8C water.
On Wednesday, divers pulled the bodies of two crew members from inside a vehicle in the river, but authorities said they must clear some of the wreckage before being able to reach the bodies of four others.
The victims were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Read more:
Wife of survivor says it’s a ‘miracle’ husband survived’
Two possible causes for the Baltimore bridge catastrophe
The ship, owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd and chartered by Danish shipping firm Maersk, was travelling from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. All but one of its 21 crew were from India and, apart from one person with minor injuries, they were unhurt.
Meanwhile, authorities are also concerned about possible environmental fall-out, testing water samples for contamination and monitoring the river for oil and other hazardous spills.
Some 56 of the ship’s containers had hazardous materials but environmental experts are also worried the ship’s fuel container could rupture.
Underwater barriers were built following reports from emergency workers of a sheen in the water near the site, although the Unified Command – which includes state agencies and the Coast Guard – said there was “no immediate threat” to the environment.
The river is vital for marine life and migratory birds moving north at this time of year, especially as it flows into Chesapeake Bay.
Thousands of people gathered in various cities across the US as protests against Donald Trump and Elon Musk took place in all 50 states on Saturday.
Around 1,200 demonstrations were planned in locations including Washington DC, New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida – just miles away from where the US president has this weekend played golf.
The “Hands Off!” protests were against the Trump administration’s handling of government downsizing, human rights and the economy, among other issues.
In Washington DC, protesters streamed on the grass in front of the Washington Monument, where one person carried a banner which read: “Make democracy great again.”
Thousands gathered in Washington DC to rally against various Trump policies. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Another protester took aim at Mr Trump‘s handling of Russia and Ukraine, with a placard that read: “Stop Putin’s puppets from destroying America.”
Tesla boss Mr Musk also featured on many signs due to his role in controversial government cuts as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Demonstrators in NYC. Pic: AP
People marching in Atlanta, Georgia. Pic: Reuters
A rally in Vermont. Pic: The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist, said she drove to the rally to protest Mr Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education”.
“I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is,” she added.
A drone view of the protest at the Utah State Capitol building. Pic Reuters
A protester sports a Handmaid’s Tale costume. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Some at the various protests carried Ukrainian flags, while others sported rainbow attire and waved rainbow flags in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Other protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs.
Thousands marched in New York City’s midtown Manhattan and in Boston, Massachusetts, while hundreds gathered in the sunshine outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, and in the rain outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈
Mr Trump – who shook financial markets with his tariffs announcement this week – spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf before returning to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
People protest in Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
Activists in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pic: AP
Some four miles from Mar-a-Lago, more than 400 people gathered – and drivers honked their horns in support of protesters who held up signs including one which read: “Markets tank, Trump golfs.”
The White House has said Mr Trump plans to go golfing again on Sunday.
US
Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they’re also battling with another problem
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway