Baltimore Port Reopens After Bridge Collapse; How Much Can Cargo Volume Recover?

After the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in March, many shippers and carriers asked Maryland Port Administration Executive Director Jonathan Daniels a common question: What can we do to help?

"Our answer was simple," Daniels told Supply Chain Dive in an interview Tuesday. "You can come back when the channel is open."

That response from the leader of the Port of Baltimore revealed the biggest concern on his mind and that of many Marylanders in the wake of the tragedy: cargo permanently diverted to other ports could turn the deadly disaster into a threat to the long-term viability of the state's key economic engine.

On March 26, the cargo ship Dali lost power and struck the bridge, killing six construction workers. The bridge collapse cut off the port's shipping channel, forcing cargo to be diverted to Virginia, Georgia, and elsewhere.

Eleven weeks later, after losing millions of dollars in wages and revenue, the port held a ceremony Wednesday to fully reopen. "The Fort McHenry Channel is fully cleared, and the Port of Baltimore is open for business," Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced at the ceremony.

Daniels said he expects vessel numbers won't return to previous levels until 2025. But according to Baltimore port, labor, trucking, and other supply chain executives, the port is poised to bounce back as bookings resume.

"Based on the current schedule — and it's still building — they've kept their promise," Daniels said.

Port of Baltimore monthly general cargo tonnage

Port throughput dropped sharply after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

Shippers 'either have come back or plan to come back'

The port's executive director told Supply Chain Dive that no shipping lines or other Port of Baltimore customers are planning significant long-term supply chain changes due to the bridge collapse.

"It's more of an adjustment of when to return, not whether to return," Daniels said.

Importers in particular have been waiting for ocean carriers to offer Baltimore bills of lading, said Lee Connor, chairman of John S. Connor, a Baltimore-area customs brokerage and logistics firm.

"Shipping lines won't take the risk of coming in unless they're confident vessels can get in and out smoothly," Connor said.

But the chairman of the century-old firm said most customers shipping through Baltimore "have good reasons."

"It works for their business," Connor said. "They either have come back or plan to come back."

Labor ready to return to work

Thousands of Baltimore dockworkers are eager to return to the docks. Members of International Longshoremen's Association Local 333 have been asking union leaders when they can get more hours.

"They're obviously looking for more work because the recovery is a little slower," Local 333 President Scott Cowan said in an interview. "They just want to get back to work."

Cowan expressed excitement about the emergency teams' quick removal of the twisted bridge wreckage from the channel and was surprised at how quickly cargo volumes have recovered.

"The recovery has been faster than I expected," Cowan said. "We're heading in the right direction."

Despite the port's reopening, Baltimore port truckers are still operating to other East Coast ports under a federal regulatory exemption extended through later this month, said Louis Campion, president and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association.

The state trucking association president noted that shipping lines typically book delivery locations four to six weeks in advance.

"It's too early to expect dramatic changes in the next few days," he said. "I'd probably liken it more to a trickle effect until some major ocean routes fully rebook Baltimore."

Baltimore adds cargo visibility and capacity

As the busiest U.S. port for cars, light trucks, and other roll-on/roll-off cargo, Baltimore's reopening after the outage offers shippers enhanced visibility and capacity.

Ports America Chesapeake, which operates Baltimore's container terminal under a long-term agreement, joined the federal Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) data-sharing program after the collapse, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced at the ceremony.

"This is timely and very important," Buttigieg said. "As the Port of Baltimore reopens, this transparency is crucial for preparing for the next phase."

Baltimore also has more space for vehicle shipments. Tradepoint Atlantic, at the former Bethlehem Steel site in Sparrows Point, the port's only unaffected terminal, received $8 million in federal grants to pave parking lots, doubling its vehicle handling capacity.

"We're seeing significant recovery in roll-on/roll-off cargo, which is the port's main business," Daniels said. "We're finally seeing container ships truly return."