Baltimore Bridge Collapse Signals Supply Chain Woes

Following the closure of the Port of Baltimore after a ruinous bridge collapse, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned of a “major and protracted impact to supply chains,” reports The Guardian. At least six people are presumed dead following the disaster.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden called Francis Scott Key Bridge “one of the most important elements” supporting the Northeast's economy. Its collapse shut off access to one of the busiest and most important ports in the country, according to the report.

An immediate consequence includes the fact that all the ships currently in the Baltimore port are trapped, said an associate professor at Campbell University and host of a YouTube channel about shipping.

“That means that vessels that are in there will have to wait for the bridge to be cleared and obviously that’s going to be a long prospect,” he said, adding that several vessels were also waiting to access the port.

Baltimore is the ninth busiest port in the U.S. Delays in reopening the port could pose issues for the local economy due to shipping companies rerouting to other ports. Additionally, the community relies on the bridge, serving roughly 12 million vehicles annually. Full Story