A container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning, causing a large section of the bridge to collapse. The incident sent vehicles into the water, causing an indeterminate number of casualties.

The Port of Baltimore is now closed for inbound and outbound traffic. The port said that truck operations at the terminal inside the port would continue to operate. Most of Baltimore’s port terminals, and all of its container terminals, are behind the collapsed bridge. It is unknown how long the port and the container terminals will remain closed, so, for the time being, vessel calls will be diverted from Baltimore to other ports.  

While it is too early to tell what the impact on ocean shipping will be from this incident, it is possible that this tragic event will result in congestion and service reliability degradation at other US East Coast Ports.

RIM will be working with any customers who have active shipments moving via Baltimore to ensure that the cargo is handled in the most effective manner possible. In addition to this, we will also be assessing the situation along the East Coast as this situation develops, and we will be available to provide alternative routings and shipping strategies to help you meet your needs.

Please reach out to your local RIM representative with any questions. We will continue to keep you updated on this developing situation.