What happens now Baltimore port is closed?

Two bodies have been recovered and four other construction workers are missing, presumed dead. The Port of Baltimore is the 14th largest in the US. In 2023, 52. 3 million tonnes of foreign cargo, worth $80.

8bn (£64bn), passed through Baltimore. The Port of Baltimore is the country’s largest vehicle handling port. It is important not only for car imports and exports but also farm equipment. Nearly 850,000 cars and light trucks flowed through the port in 2023, more than any other US port.

Fossil fuels, particularly coal, are some of the biggest exports that go through the Port of Baltimore. Coal made up a lion’s share of these shipments, with over 13. 2 million tonnes exported in 2022. A majority of those cars come from foreign manufacturers like Mazda, Subaru, and Mercedes-Benz.

The port of Baltimore generates about 15,000 jobs, according to the Maryland governor’s office. Nearly 140,00 jobs in total are linked to the port and its activities. Imports of plastics and rubber totalled more than 221,000 tonnes in 2022. About 8,000 jobs have been directly affected by the closure.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore: “The collapse of the Key Bridge is a global crisis” The national economy and the world’s economy depends on the Port of Baltimore, Moore says. The bridge’s collapse is “not just a Maryland crisis,” he says.