Baltimore port's main shipping channel reopens

The Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel reopened Monday, following a massive cleanup effort after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March.

The port’s Fort McHenry Channel has been fully restored to its original 50-foot depth, 700-foot horizontal clearance and a vertical clearance of 214 feet (due to the adjacent BGE power lines), according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Deep draft vessels still require a Maryland state pilot and one escort tug, and the temporary alternate channels remain open and available for use until around June 30, the conclusion of all on water salvage and survey operations relating to the Key Bridge response, Coast Guard officials said in a press release.

The safety zone established for all navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay within a 2,000-yard radius of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels and the marine environment. Except for vessels transiting in one of the four marked channels, no vessel or person will be permitted to enter the safety zone without first obtaining permission from the Coast Guard.

The bridge collapsed March 26 after it was struck by a cargo vessel. Six road repair workers, who were on the bridge at the time, died when the structure collapsed into the Patapsco River. The port has been closed due to the massive cleanup effort.

CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway are the two Class Is that serve the port. After the bridge collapse, NS offered a dedicated intermodal service to facilitate the flow of freight between the Elizabeth Marine Terminal at the Port of New York and New Jersey and the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore. NS also transported cargo from vessels diverted from Baltimore to Lamberts Point terminal in Virginia.

Last month, CSX was able to reopen its Curtis Bay coal pier in Baltimore Harbor; Curtis Bay is one of CSX’s largest export coal facilities.