UB maritime shipping expert: Baltimore bridge collapse to have ‘huge’ and ‘immediate’ impact on East Coast ports

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday has temporarily shuttered the Port of Baltimore, which is one the busiest ports on the East Coast.

As a result, there will be major supply chain disruptions for certain goods in the U.S., increased activity at other Atlantic ports, and further stress on railroads, trucking and other cogs of the nation’s transportation system, says Irina Benedyk, a maritime shipping expert at the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

“The impact will be immediate. And while Baltimore isn’t the largest East Coast port, it handles enough tonnage, especially in automobiles and bulk goods like coal, that it will have a huge effect on East Coast ports, as well as the railroad and trucking industries,” says Benedyk, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, who worked in Europe’s shipping industry for 10 years prior to joining UB.

Benedyk, who has PhDs in civil engineering and economics, expects the port to be closed to cargo traffic for weeks as crews remove debris from the bridge and the container ship that struck the bridge.

Meanwhile, shipping officials will likely use railcars and trucks to send containers at the Port of Baltimore to nearby ports, an effort that will exacerbate traffic-clogged railroads and highways, as well as cost additional money that will likely be passed on to consumers, she says.

Bulk goods such as coal will likely remain in Baltimore until the shipping lanes are clear, she adds, while imports and exports intended for Baltimore will be diverted to other East Coast ports.

“The East Coast ports cannot handle all of Baltimore’s cargo. You’re likely going to start seeing delays at every one of them,” Benedyk says.

Of particular concern, she says, are automobile imports. Baltimore serves as a point of origin for many foreign vehicles, and while the delay may only last weeks, it’s enough to send shockwaves through the supply chain system that will be felt for months or longer, she says.