Unified Command said preparations for the refloating operation would be prepared at 2am on 20 May with high tide predicted at 5:24am when conditions would be optimal to free the vessel.
In an 18-hour countdown to refloating starting around noon on Sunday included the release of anchors and mooring lines, deballasting of 1.25 million tonnes of ballast, and inspections confirming all obstructions have been removed.
If refloating is successful and the vessel is free of its current position, up to five tugboats will escort the Dali the 2.5-mile distance to the local marine terminal.
Readers can watch the refloating of the Dali live on YouTube
The refloating follows a series of controlled explosions on 14 May to remove a section of the Key Bridge resting across the bow of the Dali.
The Dali has been blocking the main channel of the Port of Baltimore since it crashed into the Key Bridge on 26 March causing it to collapse with the loss of six lives.
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