JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX this week will begin providing international intermodal shippers with a detour around the closed Port of Baltimore.
The railroad says it will launch dedicated service between Baltimore and the Port of New York and New Jersey in response to the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which fell into the Patapsco River and blocked access to the port after a container ship struck one of its piers.
“Leveraging strategic partnerships with steamship lines, CSX will transport freight between New York and Baltimore through its established international sales network, ensuring continuity for affected shipments,” the railroad said.
Last week CSX executives, including CEO Joe Hinrichs, visited coal terminals in Newport News, Va., to discuss exporting coal that normally would be sent to the railroad’s Curtis Bay Piers in Baltimore, which handles coal produced in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
“At CSX we work hard to be ‘part of the solution’ by working closely with all stakeholders to serve our customers better,” Hinrichs wrote on LinkedIn. The CSX team visited the Kinder Morgan Pier IX and Dominion Terminal Associates terminal in Newport News.
Hinrichs and Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Boone also spent time with employees at CSX’s car shop and other facilities in Newport News.
“Given the tragedy in Baltimore, we are going to need to move more coal trains through Newport News on behalf of our customers and we wanted to make sure we connected with our team on the ground there to see how we can help,” Hinrichs wrote. “Another example of our ONE CSX team in action to serve our customers better.”
Newport News is no stranger to handling coal normally shipped through Curtis Bay. The Curtis Bay terminal was shut down for more than a month following a Dec. 30, 2021 explosion that heavily damaged the facility that can handle 14 million tons of coal annually.
