The US Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday tentatively said they hope to reopen the Fort McHenry channel by the end of May.
The Corps said in a statement that they expect this to "restor[e] port access to normal capacity."
This channel will be 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep.
The 50-foot depth is what Maersk has told WMAR-2 News was necessary for the large cargo ships to be able to get to the Port of Baltimore.
The USACE said it also "expects to open a limited access channel 280 feet wide and 35 feet deep" by the end of this month.
"These are ambitious timelines that may still be impacted by significant adverse weather conditions or changes in the complexity of the wreckage," warns Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon the Commanding General of the USACE.
"A fully opened federal channel remains our primary goal," he added.
Governor Wes Moore also released a statement:
"As we learned this evening, this ambitious timeline proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers offers a level of clarity and certainty that Baltimore needs to hear so we can collectively plan for continued recovery efforts – related to both our economy and our infrastructure. We and our partners across all levels of government have been pushing for a timeline, and now we have a target. We must do everything we can to meet that target.
As I've said many times, this is a complicated operation. For the workers and businesses that rely on the Port, we need to do everything in our power to move as quickly and as safely as we can to clear the channel and fully reopen vessel traffic to the Port of Baltimore. For the families, we must continue to do everything we can to bring them closure.
In the coming days, we will work closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and Unified Command to continue evaluating the assessment so we can ensure we remove any obstacles that might prevent completion. I will deploy every available asset under my control to support this mission. We need to move with utmost speed – and we must execute every operation in a way that advances the four key directives I've issued to Unified Command.
This work is complex. But by standing united, working together, and moving in partnership, we will continue to prove the full meaning of Maryland Tough and Baltimore Strong.”
