Washington, Mar 28 (UNI) US retailers are working to reroute supply chains impacted by the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore in order to minimise disruptions as much as possible, the US National Retail Federation (NRF) said in a statement to Sputnik.

"Retailers will be working with their supply chain partners to quickly implement diversion and mitigation strategies to ensure cargo reaches its end destination with minimal disruption," NRF vice president of supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said on Wednesday.

It is unclear how long the Port of Baltimore will remain closed to inbound or outbound vessel traffic, but retailers are assessing how to redirect cargo to alternate East Coast ports, Gold noted.

Earlier in the day, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters that the US government is seeking more clarity on the economic impact of supply chain disruptions after a major bridge collapse prompted the closure of the port of Baltimore.

In the early hours of Tuesday, a commercial cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore soon after it departed its port. The bridge collapsed, sending at least eight people from a construction crew that was working on the bridge into the water. Six people were presumed dead Tuesday evening, authorities said.

Ship traffic in the port of Baltimore was suspended until further notice after the bridge collapsed. According to the governor of Maryland, the national economy depends on the Port of Baltimore, adding that last year alone, the port handled $80 billion of foreign cargo, the largest in the United States.
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