The bridge collapse Tuesday that shut the Port of Baltimore and closed a major highway will cause weeks or months of transportation disruptions in the Mid-Atlantic region and accelerate a shift of cargo to the US West Coast as importers and exporters try to avoid potential bottlenecks at trade gateways from Boston to Miami.
A cargo ship, which early investigation seems to point toward having lost power, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early morning hours Tuesday, sending the 1.6 mile section of Interstate 695 into the Patapsco River and presumably killing six construction workers. Almost 5,000 trucks crossed the bridge daily.
NBC News’ Rob Wile and Shannon Pettypiece reported Tuesday that “customers from the East Coast to the Midwest who were expecting goods shipped in via the Port of Baltimore could see significant cost increases as a result of Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore” that has blocked access for ships to the port.
A supply chain expert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which happened after it was struck by a cargo ship that lost power, will likely have an immediate and painful impact.
The closure of the Port of Baltimore will be felt far from Chesapeake Bay but tempered by excess capacity at other ports and on US highways, analysts and industry sources say.
Authorities are piecing together what led to the bridge collapse in Baltimore. But so far, we know that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said a large cargo ship lost power and issued a mayday call moments before it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Customers from the East Coast to the Midwest who were expecting goods shipped in via the Port of Baltimore could see significant cost increases as a result of Tuesday's collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Customers from the East Coast to the Midwest who were expecting goods shipped in via the Port of Baltimore could see significant cost increases as a result of Tuesday's collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which severed ocean links to the city’s port, adds a fresh headache to global supply chains already struggling with the effects of war, climate change and higher interest rates.
The bridge collapse Tuesday that shut the Port of Baltimore and closed a major highway will cause weeks or months of transportation disruptions in the Mid-Atlantic region and accelerate a shift of cargo to the US West Coast as importers and exporters try to avoid potential bottlenecks at trade gateways from Boston to Miami.