Leveraging the unique capabilities of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), the North Atlantic Division and the Baltimore District are one step closer to reopening commercial shipping operations in Baltimore.
Weeks after a cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, tragically killing six and shutting down one of the nation’s busiest commercial port operations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has validated plans to open a bypass channel, working with ERDC and the Association of Maryland Pilots.
While narrower and shallower, the bypass channel will soon allow large commercial vessels to enter and exit the port, while not interfering with vital salvage operations. But before the first ship makes the transit, the new route and the placement of buoys were tested by ERDC’s Ship/Tow Simulator, part of the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory.