Impact Of Baltimore Bridge Collapse On Ocean Freight

The widely reported bridge collapse in Baltimore last week has had knock-on effects for ocean freight movements along the US East coast.

The collapse of the bridge has left around 80-90% of its structure under water in the Patapsco River, which means that the Port of Baltimore is blocked for shipping, and could be for an extended period of time.

Authorities are working hard to clear the blockage and have made two channels for small vessels to pass, but they are mainly restricted to salvage operations and are not big enough for containerships.

Baltimore is not one of the most prominent port calls on carrier schedules, but did handle 1.12 million TEU last year. Although, this only accounts for around 5% of the total US East Coast volume.

Vessels that were headed for Baltimore before the incident have been rerouted, mostly to the ports of Savannah, Norfolk and New York. However, it is New York and Norfolk that are largely expected to temporarily replace Baltimore on updated schedules.  

The Indian crew of the Dali, which struck the bridge and caused the collision, remain stranded on the vessel, days after the incident occured.

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