The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed when a cargo vessel lost power and rammed into a support pile early this morning. Multiple vehicles were caught in the crash and the missing number of people are estimated between 7 and 20. Several have been rescued but many remain missing.

The FBI is actively investigating but currently, no foul play is suspected. Our thoughts and prayers are with the unfortunate motorists on the bridge at the time of impact.

In our 109th year in Baltimore, Shapiro stands ready to come together with the port, the trucking community, and our customers to slowly create order out of chaos. We know that many of you will want specific planning strategies for cargo on-port, at-port on vessels, or headed to/from Baltimore. We all also want to know how long it will take to clear the debris field in the river.

As of this moment, we expect ocean carriers to declare a force majeure and unload import cargo in Norfolk, New York, and maybe even Philadelphia. For exports, we expect to be forced to pull loaded boxes in Baltimore to alternate ports. As you might expect, we also anticipate snarled surface traffic in the Baltimore port district for at least weeks to come.  

Specific details are scarce as of 8:30am this morning, but we will send another update as soon as more actionable information emerges.