Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is a Big Blow to Supply Chains

Marine traffic at the Port of Baltimore has been suspended indefinitely in the wake of the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse, raising fears about supply chain snarls domestically and internationally. There is "no question that this will be a major and protracted impact to supply chains," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday, adding that it is too soon to estimate when the port could reopen to traffic. Shipping and trucking companies are scrambling to reroute shipments to and from Baltimore. More:

• What the port handles: Baltimore is the nation's busiest port for car shipments and farm and construction machinery. It's also a major port for coal, sugar, and gypsum, NPR reports. According to the Maryland governor's office, it's ninth among major US ports for foreign cargo handled.

• 'Catastrophic' for workers: Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen's Association Local 333 in the Port of Baltimore, tells the Baltimore Sun that the closure will be "catastrophic" for thousands of workers. "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." The port "generates about 15,300 direct jobs, with nearly 140,000 jobs linked to port activities," according to the governor's office.
• Other ports: Baltimore handles around 2.5% of the country's container traffic. Analysts say the flow of containers to Baltimore will be redistributed to other ports, including the Port of New York and New Jersey and Norfolk Port in Virginia, the BBC reports. This is likely to raise costs when goods have to travel further to their final destinations.
• Trucking: The bridge collapse severed the southern part of I-695, which is a huge problem for trucking companies. Rerouting trucks around Baltimore is likely to have "ripple effects along the major East Coast transit corridor," the Wall Street Journal reports. Two tunnels also span the harbor, the New York Times reports, but trucks carrying hazardous loads aren't allowed to use them.
• Cruises: The port also offers year-round cruises to the Caribbean and other destinations from companies including Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, the Sun reports. The cruise lines say they're working on alternatives for upcoming sailings.

(More Baltimore bridge collapse stories.)