Container Ships Can Now Move Through the Port of Baltimore

Doug McKalip, chief ag negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says the first container ship since the collapse of the Key Bridge has made it through the Port of Baltimore.

A bridge collapse at the end of March has slowed the traffic going in and out of the port and McKalip says “we had an 11-foot channel come online about two weeks after the accident and a 14-foot channel south of the wreckage come online and now a 35-foot channel just four weeks after the ship hit the bridge.”

McKalip says the goal is to open a deeper shipping channel for two-way vessel traffic to 50-feet by the end of May.

American Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Vice President, Luther Markwart, says what’s been happening at the Port of Baltimore has been important to the U.S. sugar industry, because of a refinery located in the harbor.

“Two boats had just been in and offloaded sugar before the collapse, so they had six to eight weeks of inventory and then, they could bring sugar in by barge and supplement the refinery. Now the channel is open and they can now get ships moving in and out.”

EDITOR’S TAKE:

Credit where credit is due – no one really expected shipping traffic to return this soon. So, our hat’s off to all those working hard to clear the way for a sooner than expected return to “normal”. As we know it will take years for the bridge to be rebuilt and everything back to what it was prior to this incident, but the fact that shipping is moving in and out of the port already is amazing. This will allow companies to avoid expensive workarounds. Customers will once again be able to source through the Port of Baltimore and keep costs down. This is very good news. That also means trucks typically delivered via this port should arrive on your lot sooner than previously predicted. Be sure to keep your inventory on AgTruckTrader.com® fresh and up-to-date!