International adversaries may exploit Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Intelligence report

The collapse rerouted $80 million in maritime cargo and trucking. April 12, 2024, 12:18 PM ET• 3 min readThe collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore “reduced the resiliency of US port and shipping operations” and will create “opportunities for foreign adversary exploitation,” in keeping with a brand new intelligence report obtained by ABC Information.The bridge collapse has rerouted $80 million in maritime cargo and trucking and the doc mentioned any disruptions at different ports “could have an outsized impact on the flow of goods that is not easily mitigated.”Baltimore’s Key Bridge, a significant transit and transport route, collapsed final month after being hit by a cargo ship. Following the catastrophe, which killed six building staff, the Port of Baltimore suspended operations, leading to 1000’s of job losses.”Additional supply chain disruptions will be more difficult to overcome since the standard procedure of partially rerouting ad hoc cargo through the Port of Baltimore is no longer feasible,” the doc mentioned.A crane works on the particles of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 29, 2024 in Baltimore.Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesSo far, the rerouting of cargo has not considerably impacted the flexibility of U.S. Customs and Border Safety to detect and interdict probably illicit or high-risk supplies, the doc mentioned. Any enforcement actions initiated previous to the bridge collapse will likely be dealt with at U.S. ports of entry that obtain the redirected shipments.If there are logistical setbacks on account of the bridge collapse, the intelligence analysts warned U.S. adversaries may exploit them.”We have not seen indications that adversaries are actively exploiting the incident or related disruptions, but foreign adversaries have used an opportunistic approach to advancing a broad range of security, economic, and other strategic interests following similar US disasters,” the report mentioned.President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Headquarters, close to the positioning of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, on April 5, 2024 in Baltimore.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photographs, FILEThe Port of Baltimore ranks because the ninth largest port in the USA by buying and selling quantity. Final 12 months, the port managed to deal with 52.3 tons of overseas cargo.President Joe Biden has pledged to totally assist Baltimore’s rebuilding efforts. He mentioned final week its his “intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstruction of that bridge.”

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