The Biden administration’s National Economic Council (NEC) has provided updates to stakeholders across multiple key supply chain industries on the fallout from the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The NEC met with representatives from the auto, energy, chemical, and industrial sectors on April 5, detailing efforts to remove wreckage from the bridge and progress toward restoring vessel traffic to the Port of Baltimore. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the hope is have the main shipping channel to the port fully reopened by the end of May. A smaller, one-way traffic channel for roll-on/roll-off vessels carrying automobiles and farm equipment is expected to open by the end of April.
Stakeholders from the auto industry are reporting minimal impacts to their operations, crediting the successful diversion of their cargo to alternative ports along the East Coast. They also stressed the need to keep an eye on capacity at those other ports in the weeks ahead. Energy, chemical, and industrial sector representatives said they’ve experienced a similarly small impact.
In the meantime, the NEC said that President Biden will “move heaven and earth” to fully restore traffic to the port quickly. On April 2, the U.S. Coast Guard began moving smaller vessels — primarily for cleanup efforts — through a secondary shipping channel.
