PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. –
There is a possibility that Florida ports could be affected by the Baltimore bridge collapse.
“We’re ready for any instances that a carrier or service provider that is not able to access facilities in Baltimore might need something in Florida,” said Michael Rubin, president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council.
“The actual port director for Port of Baltimore is a former colleague, he was formerly at Port Everglades. Jonathan Daniels is quite the gentleman and we have all reached out to him,” Rubin added.
The Port of Baltimore is one of the largest and oldest ports in the nation, generating more than $3 billion of annual business. It’s the busiest port for cars, trucks and sugar.
“It is going to lead to a lot of complications in our supply chain,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
The Biden Administration is pledging all available resources to clear the channel and get the Port of Baltimore open as soon as possible. On Wednesday Buttigieg said the Army Corps of Engineers was leading the effort.
Buttigeig said he is also planning a meeting Thursday with shippers and supply chain partners to coordinate and find a way to adapt to any temporary supply chain disruptions.
Florida has 16 public seaports, including Port Canaveral in Brevard County.
While 80% of the port’s revenue is generated from the cruise business, it is experiencing steady growth in its cargo capabilities, with transportation fuels, aggregates and lumber as its top cargos. The port is also in the process of building another cargo berth.
Although they try to prepare for unforeseen circumstances such as what happened in Baltimore, weather is one of the port’s biggest concerns.
Rubin says they are as prepared as they possibly can be. “Unfortunately, we have learned our lessons from a number of hurricanes, and we prepare and we have invested, not only in capacity building for supply chain issues, but also for resiliency,” he said.
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