Ocean carriers A.P. Moller-Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have indicated that they will resume bookings to and from the Port of Baltimore by the start of June, pending the completion of the cleanup of debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage site.
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The bridge collapsed March 26 when a 948-foot Maersk-chartered container ship, the Dali, briefly lost power and crashed into one of the columns holding it up. Six people working on the bridge were killed, and the port shuttered operations.
Amid the steadfast efforts to clean up the wreckage, the Port of Baltimore has targeted a reopening by the end of May . But the port’s main channel still needs to be deepened to 50 feet and widened to 700 feet so larger vessels can access the gateway. This can’t happen until the Dali is removed and refloated back to shore.
So far, four alternative channels to the port have been opened up by the Key Bridge Response Unified Command team in charge of the cleanup and recovery efforts.
Maersk said in a Thursday update that it will resume direct cargo loading and discharge on two service lines: the “AGAS” U.S. East Coast-to-Caribbean route and the “AMEX” U.S. East Coast-to-southern Africa route. Imports and exports on the AGAS service will start June 1 if wreckage is cleared, while those on the AMEX service would begin June 11.
These service lines are open to bookings now because those vessels can use the Fort McHenry limited access channel, which is not accessible for ships currently used on trans-Pacific or trans-Atlantic services.
“Please note the situation in the Port of Baltimore remains fluid and booking is contingent on space availability,” the advisory said. “Our ability to call Baltimore will ultimately rely on the refloating timeline and the Captain of the Port officially opening the port and/or the fourth alternative channel that was previously closed.”
Bookings for trans-Atlantic services and for Baltimore exports on the “TP12” North America-to-Asia Pacific lines have not yet reopened.
Maersk says it will reopen those lines once the carrier has more information on channel conditions for vessels deployed on these services. Imports to Baltimore from Asia are open for acceptance, but are subject to space availability.
Vessels may be redirected to another port on the U.S. East Coast if the timeline prevents Maersk from calling Baltimore.
Hapag-Lloyd, which is Maersk’s soon-to-be alliance partner , plans on giving shippers a head start on two services of its own.
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The container shipping company is already accepting bookings on its trans-Atlantic “ATA” service from North America to northern Europe. The first import voyage is estimated to arrive at Baltimore on Saturday, while the first export voyage is expected to depart the port on May 26.
Another service line, the North America-to-Latin America “USW” route, will move empty containers only starting May 25. On June 1, USW will accept both export and import cargo.
Like Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd acknowledged the volatility of the scenario.
“We continue to follow updates from the Port Authority, as the debris removal from the March incident must be safely completed before opening for vessel traffic,” a statement read.
Ports along the coast are still taking in the diverted cargo. According to data from supply chain visibility platform Project44, 55 percent of the shipments being rerouted away from Baltimore have gone to the Port of New York . Another 22 percent are being diverted toward the Port of Virginia, while 9 percent are instead going to Port Elizabeth in N.J. Seven percent of the remaining cargo goes to the Port of Philadelphia, while the other 8 percent goes elsewhere.
All vessels that had been stuck at the Port of Baltimore after the bridge’s collapse have since left their berths, with the last ship departing Monday morning. Hours later, crews conducted a controlled demolition of the parts of the bridge entangled with the Dali.
The Dali has remained at the scene since the accident, with all 21 crew members still on board.
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the incident found that the cargo ship experienced two blackouts while moored in the Port of Baltimore on March 25, the day before the crash. The report found that efforts to resolve those blackouts may have impacted the ship’s operations, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also has an open probe into the bridge’s collapse.
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