BALTIMORE — Hundreds of thousands of jobs are in jeopardy following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Just last year the Port of Baltimore created around 15,300 direct jobs, with nearly 140,000 jobs overall linked to Port activities.
Those jobs generated nearly $3.3 billion in personal wages and salaries, $2.6 billion in business revenue, and nearly $400 million in state and local tax revenue annually, according to the Maryland Port Administration.
Overall the Port is the second busiest along the Mid-Atlantic, and first among the nation for autos and light truck volume, roll on/roll off farm and construction machinery, and imported gypsum.
In 2023 the port set records with $74.3 billion worth of foreign cargo being delivered to state-owned and private piers. The previous year, the port recorded 43.3 million tons of shipped cargo.
Earlier this year, the Port's record breaking year earned praise from Governor Wes Moore.
President Joe Biden also addressed the tragedy during a Tuesday afternoon press conference,stating the federal government would cover repair costs of the bridge.According to one expert, reconstruction could take several years.
The president also said search and rescue is the top priority, and all efforts would be made to get the Port back up and running to protect jobs and workers.
As result of the bridge collapse ship imports and exports are expected to be severely impacted, including Amazon and the potentially the cruise line industry.
“Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the bridge collapse and the first responders assisting in the rescue and recovery efforts," an Amazon representative said. "We’re assessing the immediate and future impacts to our employees and delivery partners, as well as the surrounding community, and will make any adjustments to our operations that are needed. We also stand ready to support the community in any way we can."
As of 5:30pm Tuesday Carnival Cruise Lines they would temporarily move operations to Norfolk, Virginia.
Their Legend ship was scheduled to dock in Baltimore on Sunday. Passengers aboard that ship will now get complimentary bus service back to Baltimore.
The Virginia Port Authority confirmed they would prepare to accept ships previously scheduled to dock in Baltimore.
MORE: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge causing collapse
Tradepoint Atlantic, a private port located within the Port of Baltimore, but outside of the Key Bridge, said they can take in some terminal traffic as well.
"Tradepoint Atlantic is committed to being an active partner during the recovery, clean up, and rebuilding process,” said Kerry Doyle, Managing Director of Tradepoint Atlantic. "Our primary focus is providing the facilities needed to expedite channel clearing efforts so that the Port of Baltimore can resume normal commercial activities."
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also mentioned Tradepoint at Wednesday's White House press briefing.
He said it was too soon to estimate when the port would reopen, stating a vast majority is located within the area of the fallen bridge.
Buttigieg was also unable to provide a dollar amount for replacing the bridge, but said funding requests would immediately be processed. It's unclear how long it would take to rebuild the bridge, although original construction lasted five-years.
