The Port of Baltimore is not the biggest in America, but it is a vital one on the East Coast, handling exports like automobiles and coal.
The March 26 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after being struck by a container ship has indefinitely suspended traffic into and out of what is officially called the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, the port announced.
Baltimore is the nearest deep-water port to the nation’s capital and the largest port of entry for several goods, and experts are unsure how the closure of traffic will affect the region. The port ranked as the 17th in the nation in terms of tonnage it handled in 2021, according to Bureau of Transportation statistics.
“Big imports are salt, sugar, the bulk items,” said Kipp Snow, director of transportation, distribution and maritime logistics at the Community College of Baltimore County, of the Port of Baltimore. “For exports, we are huge in coal and vehicles.”
