First Full-Size Vessel Reaches Baltimore Refinery Since Bridge Collapse

A full-size vessel carrying raw sugar was able to navigate through the 20-foot deep temporary channel at the U.S. Patapsco River on Wednesday and reach the Port of Baltimore for the first time since an accident blocked access to the port almost a month ago.

The vessel The Jonathan carried supplies for the large sugar refinery operated by the ASR Group – the company that makes Domino Sugar – located at Port of Baltimore.

The plant, which is one of the largest sugar refineries in the United States, has faced hurdles to keep operations at normal levels since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 that killed six people.

At that time, ASR Group said it had stocks to keep the refinery working for around six to eight weeks.

ASR Group said on Wednesday that a couple of smaller boats had managed to reach the refinery before Wednesday, but with much smaller cargoes.

Despite the arrival of a full-size vessel, the company said the supply situation has yet to normalize.

“Supplying the Baltimore Refinery will continue to require extra efforts until the 35-foot channel is permanently opened,” said Marianne Martinez, ASR Vice-President for Corporate Communications.

The new navigation channel, which will allow even larger vessels with heavier loads to enter the port, is expected to open in coming days, but it will have limited periods of operation for now.

(Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by Josie Kao)