Carnival says cruise ship will return to Baltimore Sunday, two months after Key Bridge collapse

Dillon Mullan, The Baltimore Sun
·1 min read
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Another cruise line says one of its ships will return to Baltimore next weekend.

A Carnival Cruise Line ship that rerouted its departure to Norfolk, Virginia, will return to Baltimore on Sunday as scheduled, the company said in a news release.

Last week, Royal Caribbean said a ship would be leaving Baltimore this coming Saturday “as planned.”

The Dali cargo ship was refloated early last week, and the Key Bridge Response Unified Command said that a 50-feet deep, 400-feet wide channel will be open “soon.” The original 50-feet deep, 700-feet wide channel is expected to be fully restored by the end of the month.

While the ship was stuck in the Patapsco River following its March 26 crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, cruise ships have been rerouted through Norfolk.

“We are extremely grateful to the officials and incredible first responders in Baltimore, who’ve shown great leadership and resolve in this difficult time, as well as our supportive partners in Norfolk, whose rapid response allowed us to continue to deliver our scheduled sailings for our guests,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in the release. “It’s been our goal to resume operations in Baltimore as soon as possible, and after working closely with local, state and federal agencies, we look forward to a successful return.”

In 2023, Maryland Port Administration spokesperson Richard Scher said, 444,000 passengers boarded cruises in the terminal, the highest total since 2012. Eight cruise ships are scheduled to depart in June. The cruise terminal primarily services ships from Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise lines, and the Norwegian Cruise Line also occasionally uses it.