THE terrible vessel allision at Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge will leave the Port of Baltimore closed for an indeterminate, but certainly considerable, length of time.

The port's location at the upper reaches of the Chesapeake Bay, about fifty miles northeast of Washington, DC, makes Baltimore important to supply chains in the Northeastern region of the United States, reports UK's Seatrade Maritime News.

In a televised address, President Joe Biden pledged Federal support for a re-building a new bridge- likely a years-long project - on the eastern side of the Beltway circling around the city.

The Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in a subsequent news conference, described the bridge as being not an ordinary crossing, but, rather "One of the cathedrals of American infrastructure".

The USDOT was ready to approve any requests for funding coming from the President; initial work will concentrate on clearing the channel linking the port to the Chesapeake Bay, allowing vessels to access berths rendered inaccessible by the allision.

The port itself is diversified; though Baltimore sits in the middle of the "I-95 corridor" linking the Northeast megalopolis, it does appear in the top league of US container ports. 2023 saw total throughput of 1,126,511 TEU in Maryland Port Authority (MPA) terminals, compared to 3.7 million TEU moving through Ports of Virginia in a comparable period, and 7.8 million TEU moving through the Port of New York-New Jersey.

The Baltimore port is the leading US mover of automobiles and other vehicles - feeding a significantly broader hinterland than the box trades, via the interstate motorway networks and some rail.

2023 saw moves of 389,000 finished automobiles with a substantial majority, 282,000 being imports; when ro-ro cargo is considered, the total more than doubles.

On the bulk side-the port figures in movements of cargo through private terminals outside the realm of the MPA. Baltimore, in close proximity to the coal fields of West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania, is second among US ports in export tonnage, exceeded only by the docks at Hampton Roads and Newport News in Virginia.

The port's two major coal terminals- Curtis Bay Coal Piers - linked to owner CSX railroad - and a terminal owned by Consol Energy, are both inside the harbour.

Data from the US Department of Energy shows Baltimore exported about 20.3 milllion short tonnes of coal in Jan-Sept, 2023, up from 14.3 million short tonnes in the same period 2022.

Local observers also point to Baltimore's position as the leading import destination for cargoes of raw sugar and for gypsum.