Triton 2025 - Magazine - Page 33
FEATURES
Salvaging the MV Dali:
Inside One of the Most
Complex Maritime Operations
in U.S. History
Article written by
Daniel Dettor, Director of Business
Development at Resolve Marine.
The collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge by
the MV Dali was a national emergency—
shutting down a critical trade route,
drawing global attention, and sparking
projections of an eight-month recovery.
Yet in just 55 days, Resolve Marine led the
salvage operation that freed the ship and
reopened the port. The complex, multiphase effort involved vessel stabilization,
hazardous cargo removal, and the
controlled use of explosives to clear the
bridge span. Operating under intense
scrutiny and alongside federal and state
agencies, Resolve drew on its extensive
U.S. based response assets and networks
to meet the challenge. Despite chemical
leaks, explosive gases, and unstable
containers, the operation was completed
with zero injuries—an extraordinary
display of technical precision, disciplined
execution, and leadership under pressure.
On 26 March 2024, the 300meter container vessel MV
Dali struck a support pier of
the Francis Scott Key Bridge
in Baltimore, Maryland
triggering a catastrophic
collapse that tragically
claimed the lives of six
construction workers and
paralyzed one of the United
States’ busiest ports.
Marine, the designated
salvage and marine
昀椀re昀椀ghting responder under
the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Within hours, Resolve Marine
was aboard and assessing
the situation. What followed
would evolve into one of the
most complex, high-stakes
salvage operations in recent
U.S. maritime history.
At 01:28 the MV Dali lost
power and the allision with
the bridge sent a massive
span of concrete and steel
crashing onto the ship’s
bow and into the Patapsco
River. The wreckage created
an immediate navigational
hazard and closed the Port
of Baltimore—a critical hub
for automobiles, trucks and
coal exports. Economic
losses were estimated
between US$12 and US$15
million per day.
Resolve Marine’s primary
objective was clear but
daunting: safely clear
the ship from the federal
channel and help restore
access to the port as quickly
as possible.
At the centre of this complex
and closely scrutinized
operation was Resolve
A Multi-Phase
Salvage Plan
The response was divided
into three main phases, with
Resolve Marine focusing on
vessel stabilization, cargo
and debris removal, and
ultimately, preparing the ship
for refloat and transit.
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