Impact of Baltimore Bridge Collapse on Machinery Supply in the US
The tragic incident in which a container ship collided with a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has featured in headlines across the globe, not only for the loss of life, but also due to the potential impact on supply chains. Authorities have suspended all traffic through the port area until further notice.
According to a US census, the port of Baltimore was ranked #1 for imports and exports of farm machinery ($5 billion) in 2023, and #3 for construction machinery ($6.6 billion). For construction, imports exceeded exports by a factor of more than 5. In general, Baltimore is the #1 port when it comes to ro-ro cargo. The figure below shows some of the major agriculture and construction machinery manufacturers which make use of this port for exports.