The latest developments in the bridge collision accident in the East Coast of the United States: Port channels are closed, and many shipping companies issue emergency notices

According to One Shipping News: In the early morning of March 26, local time, a container ship chartered by Maersk named "DALI" (IMO 9697428) with a capacity of 9971TEU collided with a 1.6-mile-long ( The Francis Scott Key Bridge (approximately 2.57 kilometers) collapsed after the impact.

▲DALI wheel collides with bridge

The accident caused serious damage to the bridge, with half of it submerged in water. No one was injured or missing on the container ship, but the bow was severely damaged.

▲DALI wheel collides with bridge

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA Singapore) said: "Just before the incident, the ship experienced a brief loss of propulsion. As a result, it was unable to maintain its intended course and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge."

Officials from the Maryland Department of Transportation said that there were eight people on the bridge when it collapsed. Two people had been rescued from the water, one of whom was sent to the hospital, and the whereabouts of the other six are still unknown.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the six missing people are presumed dead and that the Coast Guard is concluding its search and rescue operations for the six missing people.

Port of Baltimore announces suspension of export cargo

After the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a key passageway into and out of the port, the Port of Baltimore announced at around 8 a.m. Eastern Time on the 26th that it would close vessel traffic in and out of the port. But it said truck operations at terminals within the port would continue.

▲The port is closed
At the same time, Seagirt Terminal (Seagirt) of the Port of Baltimore issued an announcement announcing that due to the current port situation, Seagirt Marine Terminal will stop receiving export cargo at 11:00 a.m. local time on March 26 until further notice.

Due to the current port circumstances Seagirt Marine Terminal will stop receiving exports today, March 26th, at 11:00 AM until further notice.

▲The terminal announced the suspension of collection

Shipping company issues emergency notice: stop shipping, jump to port

As the operator of the "culprit" DALI ship, Maersk issued a statement after the accident, confirming that the DALI ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and announced that it would jump to the port!

Maersk: All services skip Baltimore port

Maersk said: "It can be confirmed that the container ship "DALI" is owned by Grace Ocean and operated by Synergy Group. The vessel is time chartered by Maersk and carries the cargo of Maersk customers. There are no Maersk crew and personnel on board."

"Due to bridge damage and debris, vessels are temporarily unable to reach the Port of Helen Delich Bentley in Baltimore. As a result, all of our service will skip the Port of Baltimore for the foreseeable future. , until it is deemed safe to travel through the area."

Maersk added that cargo already being transported by water will also skip the Port of Baltimore and cargo destined for Baltimore will be unloaded at a nearby port, and then land transportation may be used to reach the final destination.

At the same time, Maersk also warned that cargo unloaded in Baltimore may experience delays as they need to be discharged at other ports.

▲Maersk announced that it would skip the Port of Baltimore

Evergreen Marine: Cancels all Port of Baltimore bookings

In addition to Maersk announcing the cancellation of calls at the Port of Baltimore, shipping company Evergreen also issued an emergency notice announcing the cancellation of all bookings at the Port of Baltimore.

Evergreen said: "The Maryland Port Authority advises that the Port of Baltimore will be closed for at least one month. Therefore, Evergreen recommends that any cargo that has been delivered to our Baltimore terminal for export loading is retrieved from the terminal as soon as possible. All involved in handling, storage or arrangements have been made at The cost of alternative passage for cargo at the terminal will be borne by the shipper.”

"Additionally, due to the unknown timing of the reopening of the Baltimore Terminal for ship berthing, we will cancel any confirmed Baltimore bookings. The U.S. Port of Chesapeake remains open at this time for all import cargo."

▲Evergreen announced the cancellation of Baltimore Port reservations

MSC: Cargo redirected to port near Baltimore

In addition, the shipping company MSC also stated in the email that after receiving the latest notification from the headquarters, all BALTIMORE cargo on the MAERSK HANOI 412W & MAERSK CHARLESTON 413W will undergo the following emergency processing:

1. Please give priority to confirm with the customer whether you accept the port change to a port near BALTIMORE. We will help reduce the costs incurred by the port change. The remaining additional costs must be borne by the customer.

2. If the customer still insists on unloading the goods at BALTIMORE, all costs incurred (such as demurrage fees, storage fees, etc.) will be borne by the customer. Please inform the customer in writing and provide the customer's written confirmation to our company.

▲MSC announced the change to Hong Kong

CMA CGM: Suspended accepting new bookings

At the same time, as the Port of Baltimore is closed to ship traffic, CMA CGM has also formulated an emergency contingency plan:

For US export containers from Baltimore:

Unless shippers direct otherwise, cargo currently at the terminal will remain there until the port reopens.

For goods that have already begun transportation, due to the current situation, the terminal will stop receiving export goods from 11:00 am local time on March 26, 2024 until further notice.

In either case, the cost of rerouting the cargo to another port of loading will be borne by the shipper.

No new export orders will be accepted from Baltimore until further notice and alternative loading ports will include the Port of Norfolk or New York where possible.

For US import containers to Baltimore:

Cargo already transported by water will be unloaded at an alternative port for pickup and CMA CGM's bill of lading will be terminated

For those customers who have booked but have not yet loaded at origin, please check with the origin booking office for alternative routing options.

No new import orders will be accepted until further notice. If possible, other cargo ports may be selected, including Norfolk or New York.

▲CMA CGM announced the suspension of collections

The bridge that was hit is at a critical location

The Singapore-flagged DALI ship was carrying about 4,900 containers at the time of the accident. It hit the bridge while piloting, disrupting not only navigation from the United States to Sri Lanka, but also port operations and traffic on surrounding roads.

The bridge collapse effectively built a wall between the port and the Chesapeake Bay, as there doesn't appear to be any other access to or from the port between the port and the waterway, raising questions about how long this key eastern U.S. terminal will be closed. The problem.

After the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Maryland Transportation Authority recommended not using Interstate 695, a key route for commuters and freight in Baltimore.

The bridge plays a vital role in commercial shipping to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for automobiles, light trucks and a variety of bulk cargoes.

The bridge that collapsed was part of Interstate 695 on the Baltimore Loop on the city's east side.

The actual waterway over which the bridge collapsed was the Patapsco River, which eventually flows into the Chesapeake Bay and forms the boundary of the Port of Baltimore near its end.

▲The key location of the bridge that was hit

The bridge collapse not only affects local commuters, but also creates challenges for freight transportation, especially as the Easter holiday weekend approaches. The Port of Baltimore, known for handling large amounts of imports and exports, faces immediate operational obstacles.
Judah Levine, director of research at Freightos, an international shipping trading and payments platform, said: “With most of Baltimore’s port terminals and all container terminals located behind collapsed bridges, containerized export cargo in Baltimore or scheduled to depart from Baltimore will either need to wait until the waterways reopen. , either by truck or rail rerouting to other ports, including Philadelphia, or more likely to more major hubs such as Norfolk or New York/New Jersey."

"Exporters may face increased trucking and rail freight rates if cargo is diverted to other ports."

Seven container ships are scheduled to arrive at the Port of Baltimore between now and Saturday, Levine said.

"Rerouting could cause congestion at other ports, meaning delays for importers."

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