[Freight Weekly] Port of Baltimore Workarounds

👷Port of Baltimore Workarounds Cropping Up to Ease Strain from Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse Incident; Other Key Developments👷

Public and private sector supply chain stakeholders are working overtime to ease the strain on the Port of Baltimore caused by last week's collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland. Here is what we know about these developments:

• Temporary passages have been established to permit commercial and essential ships to transit to the Port of Baltimore through the nearby Patapsco River and other channels.

• The Patapsco passage is a 14 ft channel along the disaster site allowing vessels. An 11 ft channel recently opened on the northeast side of the disaster site. Vessels have already transited these channels. While easing conditions, bottlenecks are to be expected.

• Nearby ports are currently landing cargo bound for Baltimore in places like Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Florida. For example, the Port of Virginia has directly contacted Maryland truckers to onboard cargo.

• Class I rail operators like CSX and Norfolk Southern are redirecting rail freight to other ports, including terminals in New York and NJ.

• MV Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and vessel manager Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore, have filed in a federal court in the state of Maryland to cap total liability at $44 million. The companies are citing an antiquated maritime law originating from pre-Civil War times.

Bottom line: The recovery efforts are ongoing. But, given the need to move freight through the Port of Baltimore, workarounds are needed, including cargo diversions, secondary channels, and other solutions for landing and onboarding.

CONTEXT: “How will the Baltimore Key Bridge debris be cleared?” via Al Jazeera, April 2, 2024.

Quote of the Day: The role of the ship pilot…

“Ship pilots are brought on board in what are considered restricted maneuverability or navigation areas. They are local experts who are usually certified by the state or federal government to provide advice to the master of the vessel as to how to control the vessel, safely and adequately, through the pilotage waters, which in this case would be down the river from the Port of Baltimore.”

- Allan Post, deputy superintendent, Texas A&M Maritime Academy via The Conversation

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🚢 Global Container Index: $2,725.50 (⬆️from $2,623.60 on 3/28) - Freightos

📰  WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN FREIGHT

🙃S&P says Panama Canal drought, once again, threatens supply chains: As the drought and climate change continue to impact the Panama Canal, the S&P Global projection notes that “capacity pressures at the Panama Canal are starting to have an effect on supply chains.” 

✌️U.S. to impose two-person crew mandate on freight trains: In an exclusive report to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Transportation Department is expected to require two-person crews in new safety regulations that the department says are overdue. The reg will go through the Federal Railroad Administration.

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