Compensation from insurance companies for the maritime accident in the port of Baltimore (east), which led to the spectacular collapse of a bridge, could be the highest ever paid out in maritime transport, estimated Thursday the boss of the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, interviewed on CNBC.
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“It is too early to give an estimate, although I do not expect, at this time, that it will exceed what we anticipate in the event of a disaster. But this should represent a substantial loss, undoubtedly the most significant” concerning maritime transport “but not outside our parameters”, estimated Bruce Carnegie-Brown, president of Lloyd’s on the economic information channel.
Among the reasons given, “the shutdown of many companies, of certain supply chains due to ships blocked at the same time in the port and which will not be able to reach it, and the second-order effects”, concerning of course the ship in itself, its cargo and the deck.
The port of Baltimore, close to the capital Washington, is in fact one of the main ones in the United States, notably the most important for the import and export of vehicles, according to the American Secretary of Transport, Pete Buttigieg. Between 100 and 200 million dollars of goods pass through it daily.
Compensation should, however, not be the responsibility of “a single insurer”, emphasized Brandon Holmes, analyst for Moody’s, in a comment, as the risk is “shared by many companies” in order to limit it. the impact.
A government working group on supply chains met Wednesday to better determine the potential impact, both regional and national, on the American economy, while the port is still blocked by rubble from the bridge.
“The White House and federal agencies are actively engaged to minimize interruptions to maritime deliveries, which are diverted as long as the Port of Baltimore remains closed,” the presidency said in a statement.
The accident, following the collision of a container ship in one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key bridge, led to the death of two people, two workers aged 35 and 26, while four of their colleagues, presumed dead , are still sought after.
The victims, from Latin America according to the American press, were repairing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed into the Patapsco River.
The Dali, a Singapore-flagged ship, hit one of the bridge’s pillars around 1:29 a.m. (05:29 GMT) after warning of a risk of collision, which gave authorities time to close all traffic lanes on the ‘work.
The bridge, inaugurated in 1977, collapsed in a few seconds upon impact, despite the efforts of the Dali crew to try to avoid the impact and slow down its course, notably by dropping anchor. .
The preliminary investigation shows that it was an accident, according to the authorities.
