Plans are in place to refloat the Dali, six weeks after the ship hit and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, as part of the effort to fully reopen the Port of Baltimore.

Unified Command said in a statement Saturday that the ship will be prepared at 2 a.m. Monday, with the aim of catching peak high tide and allowing a controlled transit.

The process will start Sunday, officials said, with the release of some of the anchors and mooring lines on the ship. Tugboats will be on standby.

View post on X

Workers will offload some or all of the 1.25 million gallons of water pumped onto the Dali, to make up for the weight lost off the boat when parts of the bridge wreckage were removed with explosives Monday.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Unified Command dive teams will inspect and confirm that obstructions to the left side of the Dali have been removed before the ship is refloated, officials said.

As many as five tugboats will escort the Dali for 2.5 miles to the marine terminal at a speed of 1 mph, officials said. The path the Dali will sail to the terminal has been surveyed to ensure it is clear, Unified Command said.

The Dali struck the Key Bridge in the early morning of March 26, causing the span to collapse into the water. Six construction workers on the bridge were killed. The FBI is investigating the cause of the crash.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld has said rebuilding the Key Bridge is expected to cost $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion and to be completed by fall 2028.