As of: March 26, 2024, 3:10 p.m
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
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In Baltimore, the rescue operation after a bridge collapse is currently in full swing.
The accident can also have economic effects - including for German car manufacturers.
Baltimore - It's a race against time: In the US city of Baltimore, a four-lane car bridge has largely collapsed after a ship collided.
The rescue workers are now trying to save the injured people from the ice-cold water. Maryland's Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld described the incident at a press conference as a "catastrophic collapse." Why the ship rammed the bridge is still unclear.
For now, the main focus is on rescuing the missing people.
As the sun rose, the extent of the collapse became truly clear.
The arched struts of the bridge, which spanned the port of the East Coast metropolis as part of the inter-regional traffic artery Interstate 695, protruded like a skeleton from the water.
A CBS reporter on site reported, visibly shocked, that the bridge had “basically completely disappeared.”
It also becomes clear: the tragedy will continue to have an impact for a longer period of time.
Debris in the Patapsco River: The Frances Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a ship collision.
© Harford County Fire & EMS/Imago
Bridge disaster in Baltimore: Container shipping expert speaks of a “major catastrophe”
In a report, the British broadcaster BBC also points out long-term economic consequences.
The location of the collapsed Key Bridge suggests that road traffic will be “significantly impacted” for months and even years.
Shipping traffic at the Port of Baltimore will also be severely affected - and that is likely to have international implications, as the port plays a large role in overseas trade.
Container shipping expert Lars Jansen spoke to the BBC of a “major catastrophe” that “will cause significant problems on the US East Coast for US importers and exporters”.
In addition to the roughly 21,000 units of cargo that now have to go through other ports in the region, “several commercial vessels are now stuck in the Port of Baltimore,” he says.
It is estimated that around 800,000 vehicles passed through the port in 2023, transporting a record 1.3 million tonnes of imported cargo.
German car manufacturers probably also affected by bridge collapse in Baltimore
Baltimore is also the largest import port for cars in the USA.
German car manufacturers are also affected by the bridge collapse.
Many manufacturers deliver their vehicles to the country via the two terminals Dundalk and Fairfield, reports
Wirtschaftswoche
.
Based on satellite images, the report estimates that the collapsed bridge will likely block access to the two terminals for weeks.
This particularly affects Mercedes - the car manufacturer has a large transshipment center in Fairfield, according to the magazine.
BMW and Volkswagen probably won't be hit as hard, as their distribution centers are located in front of the bridge, according to satellite images.
US car manufacturer Tesla is likely to have a problem: the electric car company ships its vehicles to other countries via Fairfield.
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Ship causes bridge to collapse: Not an isolated case worldwide
An accident of this kind is rare, but not an isolated case worldwide: as recently as February 2024, five people died in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong after a freighter rammed a car bridge and caused it to partially collapse.
In Brazil, a nearly 900-meter-long road bridge over the Moju River collapsed in April 2019 after a ferry rammed one of the massive pillars.
In January 2012, a ship loaded with rocket parts for the US Air Force and the NASA space agency tore a gap more than 90 meters long in a road bridge in the US state of Kentucky.
The captain had taken the wrong route under the bridge, which was only designated for water sports enthusiasts and not for heavy ships.
With material from dpa