I'm sure there is going to be lawsuits all over the place. As it is, the Business Interruption for insurance purposes is going to be a nightmare. Baltimore is the 8th business port in the US with over 700K ships yearly. And I'm sure the Insurance Companies are going to want to recoup their losses as well.
Numerous articles in trade journals now detailing impact on insurance market.
"Collapse expected to drive "one of the largest claims" ever for marine market"
Major (re)insurers and P&I club on hook for Baltimore bridge disaster
Article points out that there are really deep pockets behind the operation of this vessel.
"Denmark-headquartered Maersk, the world’s second-largest shipping company, confirmed that it had chartered the vessel that hit the bridge, the container ship Dali. The Singapore-flagged vessel was operated by charter company Synergy Marine Group, according to a Financial Times report. Synergy said the owners of the Dali, Grace Ocean Pty Ltd, were cooperating with federal and state authorities."
Would not be surprised if the first wrongful death lawsuits aren't filed this week.
Anyway, there are about three dozen large cargo ships (green on the map) just hanging out in the Chesapeake Bay now…
I think it's more important to look at what is upstream of the bridge and now trapped in the harbor: at least three major US Navy logistics ships, the kind that carry tanks and artillery to remote bases of operations.
Baltimore is an important harbor because its railroad connections go back to the days of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, which brings a LOT of things from the Midwest of the US and beyond to the Atlantic coast for shipment to the rest of the world.
Maritime Traffic link
Expect shortages of new cars. Port of Baltimore handles a lot of new cars…
The system will adjust. The link above shows that the outfit that handles VW and perhaps others is downstream of the bridge. There are other harbors. However we can be sure it will be used as an excuse to bump up prices on cars and on insurance.