How big is the ripple effect on shipping?

The crash has cut off access to much of the Port of Baltimore, which is a major port for car and truck imports. That means figuring out what to do with vehicles that need to be unloaded might prove tricky in the coming weeks.

“There is no question this will be a major and protracted impact on supply chains,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Baltimore.

Baltimore is also the nation’s second-largest coal exporter, responsible for shipping out 23 percent of all U.S. coal exports in 2022. The bridge collapse has cut off two terminals operated by coal supplier CONSOL Energy and freight rail firm CSX.

In a statement, CONSOL said it does not know when shipping lanes will be clear of wreckage and that it is considering its options in the meantime. But it’s not clear if significant amounts of coal can be shunted through other ports. Norfolk, Virginia, is the nation’s biggest exporter, while other nearby ports — Philadelphia, Buffalo and Savannah — handle only a small fraction of the coal exports Baltimore does.

Like most other transatlantic cargo ships bringing goods to the U.S., the Singapore-flagged Dali stopped at the Port of New York and New Jersey last week before continuing on what shippers call its “milk run,” which included the fateful stop in Baltimore before it was set to head to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

In the short term, the search and rescue mission, as well as the collapsed bridge, will change some of those milk runs, forcing other East Coast ports to pick up some of the slack.

“We need to focus on [cleaning up debris] as soon as the search and rescue is over, because this will have a ripple effect,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat. “This is a huge thriving port and a great economic center for Maryland and the East Coast.”

As rescue teams continue to search chilly waters for about a half dozen missing people, the Army Corps of Engineers is tasked with reopening the shipping channel in the harbor.

“Any of the operators in that space are going to be thinking about the alternatives that can accommodate these special cargoes,” said Cary Davis, president and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities.

Typically, cargo ships stop at the New York and New Jersey port, the East Coast’s largest, before moving down the eastern seaboard to Baltimore or ports in Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

“The Port of New York and New Jersey is proactively working with our industry partners to respond as needed and ensure supply chain continuity along the East Coast,” said the agency’s port director, Bethann Rooney.

John Nardi, the president of the Shipping Association of New York and New Jersey, said it’s too early to know all the implications, “but it will certainly result in a rerouting of freight until the channel is cleared for navigation.”

Any change in cargo volumes at the port will be a setback for Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore was only weeks ago touting record-high volumes at the port in 2023.

Last year, the Baltimore port had a record-breaking year in which it moved 52 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion — nearly 8 million tons and $6 billion more than it had ever handled before.

What’s the scale of the federal response?

At the local level, the focus remained on retrieving people from the harbor. According to the White House, roughly eight people were plunged into the water during the collapse and a few were rescued.

“We are focusing on the preservation of life,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.

But the response is now drawing in every possible local, state and federal agency from the Coast Guard to the Federal Highway Administration to local police.

The National Transportation Safety Board told the media Tuesday afternoon there isn’t a lot it knows for sure.

Safety board Chair Jennifer Homendy downplayed the chance of quick answers, citing the lengthy investigation of the 2022 Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in Pittsburgh. That NTSB investigation uncovered poor quality inspections and insufficient oversight by state and local officials.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the Baltimore bridge was “fully up to code,” and Buttigieg suggested the collapse was a unique circumstance that the country would learn from.

According to a release from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the vessel “experienced momentary loss of propulsion” directly prior to the incident. As a result, the ship was unable to maintain its course and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the authority said.

Investigators from Singapore are en route to Baltimore.

Will there be any real consequences?

The Dali is “flagged” — a term for registered — in Singapore. That means, for all intents and purposes, that the ship operates under international conventions, along with laws specific to Singapore where applicable.

For instance, the ship can set qualifications for its crew and regulations for the ship’s safe operation. That doesn’t mean the U.S. has no sway. Those responsible for the ship and its cargo are not beyond the reach of U.S. liability law, for instance. And the Coast Guard is able to prohibit ships from entering U.S. waters, and even ban ships from ever visiting.

The Coast Guard also requires ships be certified as seaworthy, and retains the right to inspect any ships that enter U.S. waters for compliance. However, according to the Government Accountability Office inspections are mostly outsourced to third parties.

Most cruise lines also register their ships in a foreign country, even though a bulk of the cruising market are Americans. That has, for instance, blunted U.S. regulators’ ability to police health and safety rules on cruise ships when norovirus and Covid-19 have ravaged passengers on cruise ships.

How partisan will this get?

During brief remarks at the White House, Biden promised the federal government would pay, at least initially, for the costs of repairing the bridge, though he left open some claims against a shipping company.

The White House said Biden met with senior staff Tuesday morning for a briefing about the collapse and told them to make federal resources available.

While he didn’t put a timeline on rebuilding the bridge or reopening the port, Biden’s fast response was reminiscent of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s quick response to another freak bridge collapse outside of Philadelphia last year after a tanker fire. The governor came out promising to make things right fast, just as dread set in about massive headaches for commuters and the supply chain.

Biden was also quick to mention Buttigieg, who cut short a trip out West to rush to the scene.

Both men faced withering criticism for failing to quickly visit the site of a train derailment in Ohio in 2023.

Moore and Van Hollen also vouched for Buttigieg, making sure to note that the Transportation secretary was on top of things and up before dawn dealing with the bridge collapse.

“Secretary Buttigieg called me at 3:30 in the morning,” Moore said of Buttigieg.

“He was up at 3 a.m.,” Van Hollen said.

Biden, who made his remarks before leaving on a trip to North Carolina, said he would visit Baltimore soon.

Tanya Snyder, Alex Guillén, Myah Ward and Ari Hawkins contributed to this report.