BALTIMORE — The Dali, a container ship responsible for the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, has left Hampton Roads after several weeks of repair work.

Flanked by three tugs and two boat crews from Coast Guard Station Portsmouth and Coast Guard Station Little Creek, the Dali went underway Thursday at about 1 p.m. According to the Coast Guard, it is headed to China. The Coast Guard’s escort keeps a safety zone of 500 yards around the ship until it reaches the Chesapeake Bay Lighted Whistle Buoy.

The 984-foot ship arrived in Hampton Roads in June after the collision. It initially was dropped off at Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, where crews unloaded containers to reduce draft. It will then head to Norfolk International Terminals in Norfolk for more repairs and salvage.

The Dali lost power in the early hours of March 26, colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and collapsing the structure into the Patapsco River. Debris from the disaster blocked Baltimore’s shipping channel for more than two months, and six construction workers died in the collapse.

Now, the Justice Department is suing the ship’s owner and manager to recover more than $100 million that the government spent to clear the underwater debris and reopen the city’s port. The Justice Department alleges that mechanical and electrical systems on the massive container ship had been “jury-rigged” and improperly maintained.

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