The issues at the port due to the collapse of the bridge will add to the strains facing global sea trade, which has been buffeted by attacks in the Red Sea and low water levels in the Panama Canal.
Analysts said it was possible that disruption could eventually arrive in the form of higher prices for the wider public.
But the biggest economic impact will be felt in the Baltimore region, where the port has served as a bright spot in an economy still struggling to regain jobs lost in the pandemic.
The port supports about 15,000 jobs directly and nearly 140,000 indirectly, according to state estimates.
Companies are already diverting business to other east coast ports in New York and Virginia, which experts say likely have the capacity to absorb new shipments.
“The major thing is how long does it take to clear the shipping channel,” said Anirban Basu, chief executive of Sage Policy Group, an economic and policy consultancy based in Baltimore. “If it’s for a protracted period, then all of a sudden you might have shippers choosing to turn a temporary diversion into a permanent one.”
He said he was hopeful that there would not be significant loss of business over the long term, but warned it would still be a severe blow to the region.
“The longer term outlook might be quite bright but the near-term one is associated with almost pure pessimism,” he said. “This is really a hit to blue collar Baltimore.”