Limited are fears of a new eject of them after the container ship’s impact on its bridge. Baltimore plays an important role in the country’s supply chains as the port is the leading managing body for maritime imports of vehicles to the US, with more than 847,000 cars and light trucks registered last year, however, expectations of an uncontrolled ‘jump’ are tempered by the alternatives already put in place. As Bloomberg says, the American economy is in a much better position than a few years ago to face the challenges posed by temporary obstruction of one of its major ports, with the tragic conflict that occurred on Tuesday (26.3.2024). The collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge is added to a list of international complications involving drought problems in the Panama Canal and the conflict between Huthi fighters and US-led forces in the Red Sea. But the shock in the supply system occurs at a time when consumers no longer store desperately material goods, as in the pandemic, nor do they spend money on refurbishing their properties. Today, it is the service sector that “runs”, while the prices of goods last month were lower than their high levels in mid-2022. Within hours of the crash, ships had already changed routes to other East Coast ports, including the port of the neighboring state of Virginia. The port authorities of South Carolina and Georgia also informed that they were ready to welcome the volume of goods redirected from Baltimore. On the other hand, as Bloomberg points out, the collapse of the bridge may also indicate possible subinvestment in U.S. basic infrastructure in recent decades. Experts stressed that attention should be focused on protective structures around the pier on which the cargo ship struck in the early morning hours of Tuesday. The bridge was opened in 1977 and questions are asked as to whether it was able to withstand the pressure of the volume of transport that swelled over the decades.
Baltimore: Concerns About Rise After Bridge Collapse
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