Baltimore Key Bridge collapse blocks entry of cars, sugar — with 140,000 jobs in the balance
The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is a “major disaster” for the economy — threatening to disrupt $80 billion in cargo that travels to an from one of America’s busiest ports, and more than 140,000 jobs tied to the shipping traffic, experts said.
The immediate upshot for Americans — if you’re waiting for a new car to come in from overseas, prepare to wait longer. The Port of Baltimore stands as the nation’s leading import and export site for cars, light trucks.
It’s also the leading nexus for sugar and gypsum — which is used in fertilizer, drywall and plaster. A record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo was transported through Baltimore in 2023.
The bustling port is cut off after the 1.6-mile bridge crumbled and fell into the Patapsco River early Tuesday, blocking the only shipping lane into the port.
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Officials have said the timeline for rebuilding the bridge is “years.”
President Biden offered proof of how important the port is to the economy in a speech Tuesday, in which he vowed to “move heaven and Earth” to help repair the bridge and help those employed at the Port of Baltimore.
“We’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers,” the president said.
The Port of Baltimore itself creates more than 15,300 jobs, with 140,000 jobs linked to the activity at the port.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) told reporters Tuesday that it was imperative to reopen the shipping channel as quickly as possible.
“It affects our economy, it affects our jobs, not just here in Maryland, but all across the United States,” he said.
Maritime expert Lars Jensen said the blockage at the port is not just a big problem for Baltimore.
“This is a major disaster and will create significant problems on the US East Coast for US importers and exporters,” Jensen wrote 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.”
Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland’s secretary of transportation, told reporters Tuesday that vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore would be suspended until further notice, but noted that the port is still open to trucks.
Attorney Michael Mezzacappa, an expert on property damage cases in the shipping industry, told The Post that the collapse will have a major impact on shipping and traffic routes in the East Coast for the foreseeable future.
“It’s not going to get fixed anytime soon,” Mezzacappa said of the bridge, which allowed about 34,000 vehicles to get across the Patapsco River every day.
“It’s going to take a lot longer than anyone expects,” he added. “This is going to be a major problem for the northeast.”
Karl MacGibbon, the director of Quality Assurance and Control at Coffey Modica and another expert on shipping cargo damage, told The Post that it could be at least 4 months before the port can reopen, with ports in the New York area likely to pick up some of the shipments.
Everything you need to know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse in Baltimore
- The Dali, the Singapore-flagged container ship that smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and destroyed it early Tuesday, reportedly lost propulsion and tried to warn officials that it was going to crash, according to a report.
- Six people were unaccounted for, according to authorities. Two people were pulled from the river by rescuers.
- Seven vehicles were missing after falling from the 1.6-mile-long span. Officials are using sonar technology to find the vehicles.
- Videos show power on the ship flickering off, and then on again, shortly before the crash. Watch footage of the bridge’s collapse here.
- A Baltimore resident described how the horrifying collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday caused his entire house to feel like it was falling down.
- The Dali was also involved in a collision while leaving the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016.
Follow along with The Post’s coverage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.
“We’ll have to see what happens and where the shipments can be diverted as New Jersey and New York’s ports are already busy to begin with,” MacGibbon said.
Gov. Wes Moore said the reconstruction of the Key Bridge will likely be a “long-term build,” without offering any specifics.
“It’s going to be a build that’s going to require every facet and every aspect of our society. It is something that I can tell you we are going to get this done,” Moore said.
The port area also supports the cruise industry, with Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean carrying about 440,000 passengers on trips across the Patapsco River last year, according to the Baltimore Banner.
Royal Caribbean said in a statement that it was closely monitoring the situation in Baltimore and “working on alternatives for Vision of the Seas’ ongoing and upcoming sailings.”
Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333 in the Port of Baltimore, warned that the bridge’s collapse will likely have a “catastrophic” impact for those employed there.
“Until the shipping channel gets opened, there’s not gonna be any ship traffic, there’s not gonna be any ships, there’s not gonna be any work for the people,” Cowan told the Baltimore Sun.
