Authorities in the US city Baltimore have finally succeeded in re-floating the M/S Dali, the Singapore-owned container ship that fatally crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on 26 March.

The Key Bridge Response 2024 team, made of US Coast Guard, Maryland Transportation Authority and others, said on 18 May it would begin the recovery of the ship on 20 May at high tide. This was estimated to be 5:24 am ET.

Live video from the scene showed multiple tugs around the vessels from the early hours. While there was little movement for several hours, the stricken ship began to move at approximately 7 am ET.

The complex task of freeing the 116,851DWT vessel has not been straightforward, with untangling the collapsed steel frame of the bridge taking weeks. The final removal began at least 18 hours before the ship was able to move, with removal of lines, re-ballasting, and close inspection all taking place before tugs could manoeuvre Dali to one of Baltimore's marine terminals.

At 7:10 am the Dali had been pulled away from the crash site, where it has remained stationary with its crew onboard since the incident.

The five tugs responsible for relocating the vessel will take approximately three hours to move the Dali to its berth. This process was underway at the time of publication.

The plan had been pushed back from the original date of 10 May, but temporary channels were dredged to give some access to the Port for commercial and feeder vessels in the intervening months between the incident and the vessel move.

The legal battles are set to continue between the owners and operators of the Dali and the City of Baltimore. The containerised goods that remain onboard will also be subject to dispute, along with the responsibility for financing the rebuilding of the vital highway crossing.