Cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore bridge refloated

BALTIMORE (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The Dali cargo ship that collided into the Key Bridge in Baltimore has been refloated and is on its way back to the port Monday morning.

The operation to remove the ship from the crash site began before dawn as a several tug boats worked together to pull the Dali back into the shipping channel at high tide.

The Dali lost power and steering control eight weeks ago before slamming into a bridge support causing it to collapse.

The ship had been stuck under tons of wreckage, but salvage efforts, including the use of explosives and giant floating cranes, have now freed the ship.

The disaster killed six construction workers, crippled the Port of Baltimore and cut off Interstate 695.

The ship is being moved from its location in the Patapsco River back to a marine terminal at a pace of about one mile per hour.

The entire refloat and transit operation is expected to take 21 hours or longer to complete.