Early Tuesday morning, a 984-foot cargo ship collided into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, MD. The Dali ship, chartered by Maersk and managed by Synergy Group, was carrying around 4,900 containers. The ship’s crew sent out a mayday to authorities to stop the flow of traffic and clear the bridge before the crash, as the vessel was having electrical issues and lost control. The electrical problems are still being investigated at this time.
There are assumed to have been 20 cars on the bridge during the collapse, as well as construction crew members who were filling in potholes along the bridge. When the bridge collapsed completely, all those on it fell into the 47° waters as well. The Coast Guard has deployed 4 boats, dive teams, and a helicopter, in efforts to rescue those who fell into the Patapsco River.
We are sending our thoughts to those who are affected by the collapse, and hope for a successful rescue mission of all missing persons.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency. Gov. Moore has asked for federal assistance as freight transportation of imports and exports are affected just before a busy Easter weekend.
How does this affect shipping?
This bridge collapse has shut down the only container terminal in Baltimore, and no vessel will be able to come in or out of the channel until the rescue efforts and investigation are finished. The Maryland Transportation Authority is asking that cargo vehicles not use Interstate 695 as a route of travel; and vehicles transporting hazardous materials should use I-695 as they are not able to use the I-95 or I-895 tunnels.
With the closure of the port, shipments will be rerouted to other ports like New York/New Jersey, but this will most likely cause congestion and delays for importers.
Due to the uncertainty at this time there is no timeline on when the channel in Baltimore will reopen, but our team at Western Overseas Corporation is keeping a close eye on updates and will continue to inform our customers as new information arises.
