One part of the Port of Baltimore remains open to shipping following Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Tradepoint Atlantic, a global logistics center which is home to the likes of Amazon, FedEx and Volkswagen, is just south of the bridge and has access to the Chesapeake Bay.
Early Wednesday morning the Wolfsburg, a regularly scheduled vessel for Volkswagen, arrived at Tradepoint and its cargo of cars was rolled off. Tradepoint had suspended shipping on Tuesday because of the search for possible survivors. That effort ended Tuesday night.
Aaron Tomarchio, executive vice president of corporate affairs for Tradepoint, said they’ve been hearing from cargo owners who had been heading for the main port and now need another location to unload.
“We have cargo that call our terminal anyway,” Tomarchio said. “How do we, where do we make space for those vessels that need to temporarily find a place to go?”
It’s estimated the Port of Baltimore stands to lose up to $15 million daily in business with no ships going in or out of the main part of the port.
“Since (Tradepoint Atlantic) began they’ve been fantastic community partners and it’s not a surprise to me they’ve stepped up to help in any way they can,” said Baltimore County Councilman Todd Crandell, a Republican, who represents the Dundalk area.
However, Crandell said Tradepoint, which is on property that was once home for Bethlehem Steel, has nowhere near the capacity or infrastructure to handle what would be coming into the Port of Baltimore.
“It’s a help, but because of the nature of it, it’s not a complete solution obviously,” Crandell said.
He said a number of people who work at the port live in his district. There are local businesses that count on the port as well.
The councilman said the community remains in shock at the demise of the Key Bridge, which collapsed when a cargo ship slammed into it early Tuesday morning.
“It’s just surreal that this architectural icon is no longer there,” Crandell said.
Tomarchio said Tradepoint is also talking to officials about it being the staging area for the recovery and rebuilding of the bridge.
“Our proximity to the bridge provides us a good land base solution for recovery and rebuilding efforts,” Tomarchio said.
In a statement Kerry Doyle, the managing director of Tradepoint Atlantic said, "Our primary focus is providing the facilities needed to expedite channel clearing efforts so that the Port of Baltimore can resume normal commercial activities."
Tomarchio said there is a sense of loss, now that the Key Bridge is gone.
“We looked at that bridge every day,” Tomarchio said. “We saw some beautiful sunsets framed by the bridge. And a sense of loss for the lives that are being impacted as a result of this. It’s an emotional time for us.”
