Baltimore port closure helped Georgia set import record

As disaster recovery crews continued their work to clear the wreckage of the collapsed bridge that shuttered the Port of Baltimore after it was struck by an errant containership, diverted cargo flows helped drive a huge jump in volume at a nearby port in Georgia.

Gerogia’s Port of Brunswick handled an all-time record of 86,577 units of roll-on/roll-off cargo in May, an increase of more than 18,000 units or 26% compared to the same month last year, the port said today.

The M/V Dali cargo ship finally left Baltimore on Monday after being pinned for three months underneath tons of destroyed infrastructure that had fallen when the ship lost power on March 26 and swept out a key support pillar, destroying several spans of the Francis Scott Key bridge.

In the meantime, maritime carriers had swiftly adjusted their routes and diverted imports and exports to nearby sites. At the time of the crash, Baltimore had just finished handling a record 1.1 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers in 2023, helping it rank first among the nation’s ports for volumes of autos and light trucks, roll on/roll off heavy farm and construction machinery, imported sugar, and imported gypsum.

The latest numbers show that that flood of business went to nearby sites. Counting ships, the auto port at Colonel’s Island Terminal handled 57 vessels in May, an increase of 12 vessels compared to the same month last year. And GPA estimates that roughly half of the machinery increase and approximately 15% of the auto increase in May was related to the Baltimore bridge collapse. (Brunswick saw a larger impact on machinery, because most units were exports that had to be sent to GPA well before Baltimore’s Ro/Ro channel reopened in mid-May.)

For its entire fiscal year to date, the inflated May performance brings Georgia Ports volumes to 796,000 units of autos and high/heavy machinery (between July 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024), up 20% compared to FYTD 2023.

Port leaders also said the site was well prepared for the surge. “Brunswick’s proximity to domestic manufacturers and to vibrant sales markets make it a critical partner for the auto industry in driving new business,” Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch said in a release. “The recent addition of 120 acres of processing space, along with hundreds more acres available for development, make Colonel’s Island Terminal uniquely able to expand along with the needs of car manufacturers.”