I didn’t realize Baltimore was so important for the car market of the Midwest and East Coast. Apparently 800,000+ cars are delivered per year through the Port of Baltimore, but with the bridge collapse today it sounds like shipments could cause some car market issues for a swath of the country.
Aren’t these ships so slow to turn and stop, that most entries into ports and narrows require tugboats? With such valuable cargo as well, wouldn’t insurance companies also?
The Key Bridge was located on a rather wide mouth.
This wasn’t a crash at the “narrow” part of the port, but near the mouth of the river that feeds everything. It also means that the other 17ish ports inside of Baltimore are all cut off because of this bridge collapse is blocking the entire damn river.
Can’t speak to tugs, but most (all?) major ports require a local to pilot the final bit. That was the case here.
“A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who has specific knowledge of an often dangerous or congested waterway, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots know local details such as depth, currents, and hazards. They board and temporarily join the crew to safely guide the ship’s passage, so they must also have expertise in handling ships of all types and sizes. Obtaining the title “maritime pilot” requires being licensed or authorized by a recognized pilotage authority.”