Key US port of Baltimore blocked after cargo ship collapses bridge

Trade at the vital US port of Baltimore has come to a standstill after a container cargo ship hit and collapsed a large section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The port is the biggest port facility for specialised cargo - roll-on/roll-off ships - and passenger facilities. It has seen growth in large container ships such as the 289-metre-long Dali carrying goods for the shipping giant Maersk that hit a pillar of the bridge around on Tuesday morning.

"The bridge is seen as an essential link on the Baltimore Beltway. US infrastructure is ageing and sometimes unsafe and will give (President Joe) Biden more reason to ramp up infrastructure spending," said analysts at broker SP Angel.

Officials are searching for survivors, including road repair crews who had been working on the bridge — part of Interstate highway 695 — when the cargo ship struck.

Baltimore fire chief James Wallace told reporters at a news conference that officials were searching for “upwards of seven people” with two others pulled from the water - one of whom was in serious condition.

The ship lost power and issued a mayday call shortly before striking the bridge, which gave authorities a brief opportunity to stop cars and try to evacuate the span before it collapsed, the New York Times cited unnamed federal and state officials. CCTV footage of the incident appeared to show the Dali's lights darken twice before impact.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com