Mercedes, GM, Stellantis scramble; Port jobs are at risk after Baltimore disaster

Cars are visible in a general view from the Baltimore Port after the cargo ship Dali ran into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday. The accident has temporarily closed the Port of Baltimore, which handles more vehicles per year than any other U.S. port. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, a deadly disaster that's disrupted a major transit route along the east coast, has also shut down a large section of the Baltimore port.

The port is just a fraction of the size of large ones in the U.S. like Newark or Long Beach, Calif. But it plays an outsized role in auto imports and is economically significant to Maryland, in the densely populated Mid-Atlantic region.