Bridge collapse with consequences – the Port of Baltimore is so important. France flies 240 people out of Haiti – including Swiss

Large parts of the bridge have been blocking access to the Port of Baltimore on the east coast of the US since Tuesday. The more than 2.5 kilometer long Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed during the night after the 290 meter long container ship “Dali” without a rudder rammed into a support pillar of the four-lane bridge. Two dead people have now been rescued from the water, four other victims have not yet been found.

Most of the port facility is located behind the collapsed bridge and is therefore cut off from the sea. It is currently unclear how long shipping traffic will remain closed. What is certain, however, is that the accident will have economic consequences, and the longer access remains closed, the more so. The port of Baltimore is one of the most important on the American east coast.

Port of Baltimore Facts

The economic consequences

Regarding the port’s failure, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned of problems for international supply chains. These could have enormous economic consequences for the American economy. Economists and logistics experts interviewed by the Reuters news agency were more relaxed about this; They did not expect a major supply chain crisis that would be reflected in rising prices for goods.

However, global supply chains are already under strain: Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and bottlenecks in the Panama Canal have extended delivery times and increased costs for companies dependent on east coast ports. The disruption of maritime traffic at the Port of Baltimore increases these pressures, at least for the East Coast of the United States.

Although Baltimore is a major transshipment point for containers, other East Coast ports should have enough spare capacity to accommodate the additional traffic. A large portion of freighters bound for Baltimore will now likely head to New York/New Jersey, Virginia or Savannah.

The port remains open to land-based trucks, but the loss of maritime traffic is expected to cost $9 million per day. The damage to the economy as a whole is likely to be even greater, as goods worth several million dollars will now have to be diverted.

Still, the economic damage will likely be painful locally and regionally: Baltimore accounts for only 4 percent of all East Coast commerce. Those who work in the port are likely to feel the impact most clearly if maritime traffic comes to a standstill for an extended period of time. About 8,000 of the 14,000 jobs are directly affected by the port closure; indirectly, nearly 140,000 jobs depend on port operations, generating nearly $3.3 billion in revenue. The city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland are also losing tax revenue. (mr)