The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has closed one of the East Coast’s busiest ports to shipping traffic, delivering a severe blow to the region’s economy.
The underwater wreckage of the steel bridge in the Patapsco River has clogged the only water route into the Port of Baltimore, which handled 11.7 million tons of cargo at its public terminals last year. The port leads the nation in the shipping of automobiles and serves an active cruise industry.
The bridge collapsed early Tuesday when the Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship, slammed into a column after appearing to lose power. President Biden said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been sent to the scene to prepare to clear the 50-foot-deep shipping channel.
“We’ll need to clear that channel before the ship traffic can resume,” Mr. Biden said. “The Port of Baltimore is one of the nation’s largest shipping hubs. It handled a record amount of cargo last year.”
Meanwhile, the search continued for missing construction workers on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Officials could not say how long the port would be closed to vessels nor provide a timeline or cost for rebuilding the bridge, which supported about 30,000 vehicles per day.
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Mr. Biden pledged to get the port up and running again to shipping traffic “as soon as humanly possible.”
“Fifteen thousand jobs depend on that port,” the president said. “We’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers. The bridge is also critical for travel — not just for Baltimore, but for the Northeast Corridor. It’s one of the most important elements for the economy in the Northeast and quality of life.”
Mr. Biden said he intends for the federal government to pay the entire cost of rebuilding, although infrastructure projects are usually funded by a combination of state and federal funds.
Asked why federal taxpayers should bear the brunt if the ship’s owner or operator could be at fault, Mr. Biden replied, “That could be, but we’re not going to wait for that to happen. We’re going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and opened.”
The cost of rebuilding the 1.6-mile-long span could approach $1 billion. The rebuilding of a 10-lane bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007 cost roughly $250 million.
“I expect the Congress to support my effort,” the president said. “This is going to take some time. And the people of Baltimore can count on us to stick with them every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt.”
The port supports 15,330 jobs directly and another 140,000 jobs indirectly, according to the state of Maryland. It generates more than $395 million in taxes, $2.6 billion in business income and $3.3 billion in total personal income.
Goods arriving and departing at the Port of Baltimore each day include coal, vehicles, sugar, coffee and heavy farm equipment. Baltimore ranks first in the nation for handling autos and light trucks, a distinction it has held for 13 straight years. More than 850,000 vehicles go through the port annually.
The devastation also disrupts passenger cruises. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line had about 70 cruises scheduled through the rest of this year from Baltimore to destinations in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, New England and Canada.
The loss of shipping traffic could create a ripple of supply-chain problems, including delays and increased costs. Because of the collapse, at least 10 commercial ships that were preparing to enter the Port of Baltimore were forced to drop anchor. At least one vessel was redirected to the Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads.
Scott Cowan, president of Local 333 of the International Longshoremen’s Association in Baltimore, said the suspension of shipping “is going to put a very big strain on the economy in the state of Maryland because the Port of Baltimore is one of the main engines, main drivers of the economy of Maryland. This is going to create a big problem.”
“Until those ships can come up and down the Bay, the little bit of cargo that’s in the terminal will be imported and exported out, and then we’ll be waiting for the channel to open. I don’t know how long it’s going to take,” Mr. Cowan told CNN.
Each week, massive container and cargo ships can be seen waiting in the Chesapeake Bay for their turn to enter the port. More than 50 ocean carriers make a total of nearly 1,800 annual visits to Baltimore.
The Port of Virginia said on X that the Dali, the ship that caused the bridge collapse, left Hampton Roads on Friday “without incident” as it sailed for Baltimore.
Trucks can still access the port terminals in Baltimore, although the loss of the Interstate 695 bridge is affecting the flow of traffic in the area. The bridge was one of four main highway routes through Baltimore, and traffic inevitably will increase on the remaining three — tunnels on Interstate 95 and Interstate 895, and the portion of the I-695 beltway that skirts the city’s western edge. Trucks carrying hazardous materials are banned from using the tunnels.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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