Chinese edition: Baltimore bridge collapse tests the resilience of global commodity supply chains

The collapse of a bridge in the American city of Baltimore, as a result of which the port channel was blocked, had a negative impact on international maritime supplies. The Chinese edition of The South China Morning Post writes about this.

According to experts, the temporary suspension of full-fledged operation of the port of Baltimore cannot but affect trade turnover with European countries, Japan, South Korea and India, which have close trade ties with the United States.

Commodity supply chains are already feeling the effects of the disruption at the Port of Baltimore. Moreover, now there are several other factors that have a serious impact on international maritime transport. Firstly, this is the aggravation of the situation in the Red Sea due to the actions of the Yemeni Houthis and the military operation carried out by Western countries in this region. These events created large-scale obstacles to the free movement of ships through the Suez Canal.

Secondly, there are problems with the passage of ships through the Panama Canal, since the region suffered from the “great drought” and for a long time fewer ships passed through the canal than could have been the case.

Finally, events in Ukraine also play a role, which have complicated the movement of ships in the Black Sea and affected the supply of Russian and Ukrainian goods.

therefore story with the bridge collapse in Baltimore was just an addition to the already existing complex situations. The American economy is also suffering. That is why the US authorities are so actively striving to restore the canal’s capacity and the port’s full operation.

However, the consequences of the accident are mitigated by the lessons that American companies have learned from the coronavirus pandemic. According to the publication, after the pandemic, ports on the east coast of the United States began updating their capabilities in the field of receiving and storing cargo. In particular, container terminals were expanded and new logistics and storage management technologies were introduced.

Comments

[andrewkor]

Updating cargo terminals is of course good, but when will the bridge be available?

[paul3390]

But what will happen if someone decides to reset the bridges across the Dnieper in the third year of the war?

[tralflot1832]

The USA is full of bridges without support protection, the so-called “dolphins”. The bridge in Baltimore is a victim of economy. Now tugs will “release” ships only after crossing the bridges. There is no news yet about the reasons for the simultaneous stop of the main engine and diesel generator on the “Dali”. The FBI is working.

[Zoldat_A]

The Chinese just wanted to remind stupid America about such a simple thing as the “butterfly effect.” That balance in the world is a relative thing and there is nothing immutable in the world. Including “the great and exceptional America.” That one ill-conceived decision or accident, seemingly a trifle, can affect such global processes that it is difficult to predict the connection between them, and it is impossible to calculate the consequences.

There are a lot of examples of the “butterfly effect” - from sanctions against Russia to Archduke Ferdinand - one can list and list.
The latest example is how could the delivery of a single long-range US missile to Ukraine affect the fate of Ukraine, the US and our civilization as a whole? And this depends on where Ukraine launches it and how accurately it hits it.

[Andobor]

The sanctions have returned. The ship that collapsed the bridge had problems with fuel; due to environmental requirements, American ports can only be entered on light fuel, diesel fuel; there is no Russian, there is not enough of our own, but Indian is still the same.

[rotmistr60]

Chinese edition of The South China Morning Post

So I don’t understand, are the Chinese worried about the disruption of the supply chain or are they praising the Americans for the lessons learned from the pandemic: “container terminals have been expanded, new logistics and storage management technologies have been introduced”?