Baltimore, MD—

Teams of engineers are now focused on the mammoth job of pulling the crumbling remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge out of Maryland’s Patapsco River, part of an effort to reopen the Port of Baltimore and salvage four people who are still missing and The first step in identifying the body of a presumed dead worker.

A huge cargo ship was crushed on Tuesday after hitting one of its main supports. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gillies said at a news conference Friday that experts are trying to figure out how to “break the bridge into pieces of the right size that we can lift.”

The required tools are already in place. These include seven floating cranes (one of which is the largest on the East Coast, capable of lifting 1,000 tons), 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight rescue vessels and five Coast Guard vessels.

“Get out there and look up close and you realize what a monumental task this is,” Gov. Wes Moore said Friday afternoon as the giant crane loomed behind him.

“For a rescue operation of this complexity — and frankly, an unprecedented rescue operation — you need to plan for every moment,” Moore said.

Moore surveyed the scene and saw the container shredded “like pulp.” The fragments of the bridge (including steel trusses) weighed 4,000 tons.

The wreckage has hampered ships from entering and exiting key ports and efforts to find missing workers.

“We have to give these families a sense of closure,” Moore said.

Moore also addressed the severe economic impact of the disaster, saying, “We’re not just talking about the economy of Maryland today; it’s the economy of Maryland.” This is about the state’s economy. The port handles more automobiles and farm equipment than any other port in the country. “

The Maryland Department of Transportation is already planning to rebuild the span and is “considering innovative design, engineering and construction approaches so we can deliver this project quickly,” Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said.

Adam Ortiz, administrator for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said there is no indication that there are substances in the water that were actively released by ships or that are harmful to human health.

Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. said the Federal Aviation Administration has been asked to establish a restricted flight zone that extends 3 nautical miles in all directions from the center span of the bridge and up to 1,500 feet.

Butler advised people to stay away from drones and said law enforcement was prepared to take action against any violation of that airspace.

Officials said the victims were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and were workers repairing potholes on the bridge when it was destroyed. At least eight people initially fell overboard when the boat hit a bridge pillar, two of whom were rescued.

Divers later recovered the bodies of two men from a pickup truck in the river, but the nature and location of the wreckage complicated efforts to find the other four workers, as did the river’s murky waters.

“Divers can put their hands on the panel, but they can’t even see their hands,” said Donald Gibbons, an instructor at the Carpenter Technical Center in East Atlantic State. “So, we say zero visibility. It’s very similar to locking yourself in a dark closet on a dark night and not really being able to see anything.”

President Joe Biden’s administration has approved $60 million in immediate aid, and Biden said the federal government will cover the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge, which was completed in 1977 and connects to Interstate 695.

Vessel traffic remains suspended at the Port of Baltimore, but the Maryland Ports Authority said in a statement Friday that trucks were still being processed at the marine terminal.

Federal and state officials said the collision and collapse appear to have occurred after the ship lost power. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause.

The accident caused the bridge to break apart and fall into the water within seconds. Authorities had enough time to block traffic but were unable to alert construction crews.

cargo ship DaliThe vessel, managed by Synergy Marine Group, was traveling from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.

The loss of a road that carries 30,000 vehicles a day and port disruptions would not only affect thousands of longshoremen and commuters, but also American consumers, who could feel the impact of shipping delays.

Scott Cowan, president of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333, said the union is working to help its roughly 2,400 members who are at risk of losing their jobs.

“If there are no boats, there are no jobs,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can.”