Foreign adversaries could exploit Baltimore Key bridge collapse, intelligence report says

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore “reduced the resilience of U.S. port and maritime operations” and could create “opportunities for exploitation by foreign adversaries,” according to a new intelligence report obtained by ABC News.

The bridge collapse diverted $80 million in ocean freight and trucking and the document said any disruptions at other ports “could have an outsized impact on the flow of goods that cannot be easily mitigated.”

Baltimore’s Key Bridge, a vital transit and shipping route, collapsed last month after being struck by a cargo ship. Following the disaster, which claimed the lives of six construction workers, the Port of Baltimore suspended operations, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs.

“Additional supply chain disruptions will be more difficult to overcome as the standard procedure of partially rerouting ad hoc cargo through the Port of Baltimore is no longer feasible,” the document states.

So far, rerouting of goods has not had a significant impact on U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ability to detect and interdict potentially illicit or high-risk materials, the document said. Any enforcement actions initiated prior to the bridge collapse will be addressed at U.S. ports of entry that receive redirected shipments.

Should the bridge collapse result in logistical setbacks, intelligence analysts have warned that U.S. adversaries could exploit them.

“We have seen no indication that adversaries are actively exploiting the incident or associated disruptions, but foreign adversaries have used an opportunistic approach to advance a wide range of security, economic, and other strategic interests in the wake of U.S. disasters similar,” the report said.

The Port of Baltimore is the ninth largest port in the United States by trade volume. Last year, the port managed to handle 52.3 tons of foreign cargo.

President Joe Biden has pledged to fully support Baltimore’s rebuilding efforts. He declared last week his “intent that the federal government will pay the entire cost of rebuilding this bridge.”