On 1 April, Maersk released an announcement on the latest situation at the Port of Baltimore, USA and the adjustment of its business.
According to the announcement, Maersk is currently unable to accept new bookings at the Port of Baltimore, including SPOT ocean bookings, but will continue to provide services in Baltimore through other US ports such as Newark, Norfolk and Philadelphia, by road and rail depending on available capacity.
Maersk related announcement
Maersk also said that at the request of most of its customers, the company also plans to offer transport services from Eastern Canada to the South Atlantic and Gulf regions through several ports. Meanwhile, port and rail operators will also assist Maersk in developing new solutions that will allow cargoes originally destined for the Port of Baltimore to be temporarily shifted to other ports.
In the announcement, Maersk made the following reminder to its customers:
- Customers planning to schedule their own Baltimore cargoes are required to notify Maersk's business representatives so that the company can make timely adjustments to its operating plan.
- Customers who plan to ship cargo to Newark and Norfolk and whose cargo has already arrived at the terminals need to arrange for pick-up as soon as possible to improve the efficiency of cargo flow at the ports.
- Customers can visit Maersk's website for hours of operation and updates on major North American terminals.
Maersk also reminds customers that the Port of Baltimore announced on 1 April that it is establishing a temporary channel for "commercially essential vessels" at the port. However, due to the limited conditions of the channel, it will not be sufficient to accommodate Maersk's and other carriers' large ocean-going container vessels.
Maersk also emphasised that it is currently unable to accept any loaded containers in Baltimore, but the terminal can accept returned empty containers.
The Port of Baltimore has been closed since the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was collapsed by a container ship on 26 March. Progress in removing the collapsed bridge and clearing the shipping lanes has been slow.
However, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigation team recently said that it has obtained the black box of the container ship involved in the incident, which may help to determine the cause of the ship's out-of-control collision with the bridge as soon as possible.
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