近日，美國馬里蘭州巴爾的摩"弗朗西斯·斯科特·基"大橋發(fā)生坍塌事故，導致巴爾的摩港陷入關閉狀態(tài)，港口海上交通受阻。為了盡快恢復正常的海上交通，美國官方宣布，海岸警衛(wèi)隊正在大橋附近為商業(yè)船只開辟一條臨時備用航道。

Baltimore Port is one of the busiest ports on the U.S. East Coast, with an annual international cargo flow of up to 52 million tons worth over $80 billion, ranked ninth in the U.S. in terms of coal exports, Baltimore is the second largest port in the U.S. Insiders have warned that the bridge collapse could cause the port’s coal exports to be interrupted for up to six weeks and 2.5 million tons of coal transport is blocked. The bridge collapse has had a significant impact on global shipping and trade, and several ship companies have announced a suspension of acceptance of new booking services about Baltimore Port.

In order to restore Baltimore’s port operations as soon as possible, the local government plans to establish a temporary sailing route on the northeast side of the main sailing route. The control water of this temporary sailing route is 11 feet (more than 3 meters), the horizontal clean air is 264 feet (80 meters), and the vertical clean air is 96 feet (29 meters). By opening this spare route, it will provide the necessary support for Baltimore’s maritime traffic, which is considered an important first step to reopen the port.

However, the exact time needed to reopen the port is still unclear at the moment. U.S. Transport Secretary Pete Buttigger said it is currently unclear how long it will take to clean the debris after the bridge collapsed and how long it will take to reopen the port of Baltimore. The U.S. Army Engineering Corps and the Navy have deployed two heavy lifts to clean the debris in the water, but the cleaning work is very complex.

The reconstruction of the bridge will also be a huge task. According to experts, the reconstruction may take 18 months to several years, costing at least $400 million or more. The complexity and high cost of the reconstruction work reflects the severity of the accident.

U.S. President Biden has pledged that the federal government will fully cover the cost of rebuilding the bridge, but that will require congressional approval. Analysts point out that as the eastern hub of the port, Baltimore’s shipping disruption will seriously hurt the U.S. eastern and even national supply chain and economy.