Major car manufacturers may see their sales drop as they reroute shipments from Baltimore following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Financial Times said.
On Tuesday, BusinessDay reported that the Baltimore bridge collapsed after a cargo ship rammed into it, trapping at least 20 people and cars plunged into the river.
The Baltimore police chief, Richard Worley, had said the collapse showed no indication of terrorism while the Baltimore City Fire Department described the accident as a “mass casualty event”.
The port of Baltimore in 2023 handled the shipment of over 847,000 vehicles, making it one of the busiest ports in the US.
Financial Times reported that two container ships were seen anchored downstream of the collapsed bridge, waiting to enter Baltimore or be redirected to other East Coast ports.
General Motors, Ford Motor, Stellantis, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW are a part of the automakers that use the port.
The British daily newspaper said some car makers are planning to divert imports and exports of vehicles to other East Coast ports while they assess how the collapse would affect their logistics.
Commenting on the bridge collapse, General Motors said the incident is expected to have “minimal impact” on its operations, as it is looking to reroute vehicles to other ports.
Toyota Motor also said it did not expect a “significant disruption,” but some of its exports could be affected.
On its part, Volkswagen said it did not expect to be affected by the collapse because its receiving facility in the Port of Baltimore is on the eastern side of the bridge, which is still accessible to ships.
“Together with our transport partners, we continuously review and adapt our supply routes. We have several options available within our flexible supply chain network,” Mercedes Benz said in a statement on Wednesday.
Earlier today, at least six people from a construction crew were announced missing and presumed dead.
Investigations are still ongoing, while bodies have been recovered and families of the deceased informed.
