Bridge collapse likely to have profound impact on Port of Baltimore operations
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge above the Patapsco River early Tuesday forced a closure of the Port of Baltimore, and it’s likely to have a dramatic impact on port operations and on regional shipping for the foreseeable future.
“This is a major disaster and will create significant problems on the US East Coast for US importers and exporters, wrote Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime, on LinkedIn. “The bridge collapse will mean that for the time being it will not be possible to get to the container terminals- – or a range of the other port terminals — in Baltimore. … Additionally this means the cargo already gated into the Baltimore terminals would have to either wait an unknown period for the sealane to reopen, or be gated back out and shifted to a different port.”
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said all vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice, though the facility was still open to trucks, The Associated Press reported.