00:00 The collapse of a significant bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday is poised to halt coal exports
00:07 from the port for up to six weeks, potentially impeding the transport of approximately 2.5
00:13 million tons of coal, according to Ernie Thrasher, CEO of XCoal Energy and Resources, LLC.
00:19 With Baltimore being the second-largest terminal for coal in the US, the blockage of this major
00:25 coal hub threatens to disrupt global energy supply chains, which have only recently begun
00:31 to recover from pandemic-related slowdowns.
00:33 Thrasher noted that while some diversion to other ports is possible, the capacity constraints
00:38 of these alternative ports pose limitations on such efforts.
00:43 Despite Baltimore accounting for less than 2% of global seaborne coal shipments, Thrasher
00:48 emphasized that the collapse would have little impact on global coal prices.
00:52 However, he highlighted the significance of the disruption for India, particularly given
00:57 the country's substantial annual coal demand and reliance on imports, a portion of which
01:02 is sourced from the US via Baltimore.
01:05 Energy Aspects and Analytics firm predicted that marine traffic in Baltimore would face
01:10 disruptions for a relatively short period, possibly lasting two to three weeks.
01:15 Additionally, some coal shipments may be temporarily redirected to other ports such as Norfolk,
01:21 Virginia.
01:22 The supply disruption is expected to have a more pronounced impact on Asian coal markets
01:27 compared to European markets, primarily due to the composition of the coal exported from
01:32 Baltimore, which often contains high sulphur content, unsuitable for European power stations,
01:37 as highlighted by commodity analytics firm DBX.
01:41 Shortly after 1 a.m. European time, a container ship named the Dali was sailing down the Patapsco
01:47 River on its way to Sri Lanka.
01:49 At 1.24 a.m., it suffered a total power failure and all its lights went out.
01:54 Three minutes later, at 1.27 a.m., the container ship struck a pylon of the bridge, crumpling
01:59 almost the entire structure into the water.
02:02 The bridge was up to code and there were no known structural issues, Maryland Governor
02:07 Wes Moore said.
02:09 The metal truss-style bridge has a suspended deck, a design that contributed to its collapse,
02:14 engineers say.
02:16 The ship appeared to hit a main concrete pyre, which rests on soil underwater and is part
02:21 of the foundation.
02:22 So far, six lives have been lost.
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