Crews evaluating results of explosion to free Dali from remains of Baltimore bridge

May 14 (UPI) -- Crews continued to evaluate on Tuesday a controlled explosion aiming to dislodge the cargo ship Dali from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The Dali has been stuck in Baltimore for 50 days after losing power and ramming into a column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the structure to collapse. Unified Command had planned for nearly a week to use the controlled demolition to try free the large cargo vessel from the bridge that sits on top of it, according to WBAL-TV .

The demolition Monday evening tried to break up a 500-foot span, weighing up to 600 tons, that had fallen on the bow of the container ship. They said the plans would be for the remaining pieces of the bridge to fall off the ship into the river after the explosion.

A sizable chunk of the bridge slid into the river after Monday's detonation while other pieces will be removed by a crane, Army Corps of Engineers Col. Estee Pinchasin said.

Gov. Wes Moore, said plans to reopen a permanent channel in the waterway by the end were still on track.

"After we do the precision cutting, we will then go back and resurvey the channel as well as survey around the Dali to make sure there are no obstructions that come from the precision cutting that would interfere with traffic," said U.S. Coast Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath. "Then, we will reopen the limited-access channel to traffic at that particular time."

Coast Guard Capt. David O'Connell said that Monday's detonation was a "milestone" in recovery efforts.

"To me, this feels like we are approaching that point in a marathon when you feel like you've hit a wall and then once you get past that wall, then it's all downhill from there," Gilreath told the Baltimore Sun .

"There is still plenty of work to do, but you know that you're going to get it done."