BALTIMORE — Officials on Sunday welcomed the first container ship to reach the Port of Baltimore since a ship collision brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six and blocking the channel to vessels for weeks.

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In a social media post on Sunday, port officials announced the arrival of the MSC Cargo Passion III, which carried nearly 1,000 containers to the Seagirt Terminal.

Port officials marked “Another milestone today!” and added, “We’re getting there…”

The Passion III used the newest of four temporary channels built to give commercially essential vessels access to the port. The Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel has a controlling depth of 35 feet, a horizontal clearance of 300 feet and a vertical clearance of 214 feet.

The Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River early on the morning of March 26 after it was struck by the cargo ship Dali. Eight road crew workers who were on the bridge at the time were thrown into the water. Two were later rescued.

The crash left tons of debris in the water, blocking the path to the Port of Baltimore — a key automobile hub for the U.S. More than 3,000 tons have been removed from the river as of late last week, officials with the Unified Response to the bridge collapse said.

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