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See how the Key Bridge collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and tofu
See how the Key Bridge collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and tofu
The Port of Baltimore is the top port in the nation for automobile shipments
By Rachel Lerman, Hannah Dormido, Jeanne Whalen, Luis Melgar and Laris Karklis
March 27, 2024 at 8:15 a.m. EDT
Suzuki automobiles sit parked in the Dundalk Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore in 2009. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday cut off access to much of the city’s port — causing a suspension of vessel traffic that will disrupt a key trade lane and threaten to further tangle already-stressed supply chains.
The Port of Baltimore was the 17th largest in the nation by total tons in 2021 and an important artery for the movement of autos, construction machinery and coal. It handled 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth nearly $81 billion in 2023, according to Maryland data, and creates more than 15,000 jobs.
On Tuesday, the Port of Baltimore said that vessel traffic would be suspended in and out of the port until further notice, but trucks would still be processed in its terminals. ... “Baltimore’s not one of the biggest ports in the United States, but it’s a good moderate-sized port,” said Campbell University maritime historian Sal Mercogliano. It has five public and 12 private terminals to handle port traffic.... “It does cars, it does bulk carriers, it does containers, it does passengers.” said Mercogliano. “So this is going to be a big impact.”
Baltimore’s the top port in the nation for automobile shipments, having imported and exported more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group.
{snip}
By Rachel Lerman, Hannah Dormido, Jeanne Whalen, Luis Melgar and Laris Karklis
The Port of Baltimore is the top port in the nation for automobile shipments
By Rachel Lerman, Hannah Dormido, Jeanne Whalen, Luis Melgar and Laris Karklis
March 27, 2024 at 8:15 a.m. EDT
Suzuki automobiles sit parked in the Dundalk Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore in 2009. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday cut off access to much of the city’s port — causing a suspension of vessel traffic that will disrupt a key trade lane and threaten to further tangle already-stressed supply chains.
The Port of Baltimore was the 17th largest in the nation by total tons in 2021 and an important artery for the movement of autos, construction machinery and coal. It handled 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth nearly $81 billion in 2023, according to Maryland data, and creates more than 15,000 jobs.
On Tuesday, the Port of Baltimore said that vessel traffic would be suspended in and out of the port until further notice, but trucks would still be processed in its terminals. ... “Baltimore’s not one of the biggest ports in the United States, but it’s a good moderate-sized port,” said Campbell University maritime historian Sal Mercogliano. It has five public and 12 private terminals to handle port traffic.... “It does cars, it does bulk carriers, it does containers, it does passengers.” said Mercogliano. “So this is going to be a big impact.”
Baltimore’s the top port in the nation for automobile shipments, having imported and exported more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group.
{snip}
By Rachel Lerman, Hannah Dormido, Jeanne Whalen, Luis Melgar and Laris Karklis