#gm my #nostriches.
After this morning's explosion at Baltimore port I had a chat with Claude about what "is happening in Baltimore?" And this is what we came up with.
🚢 **MAJOR SHIFT: America's #1 Auto Port Is Moving South**
Baltimore's century-long reign as America's top auto port is ending. Georgia's Port of Brunswick will claim the crown by 2026.
**Why this matters:**
• Manufacturing moved to the Southeast (GA, AL, TN, SC plants)
• Germany's auto industry is collapsing (-15% production since 2017, VW/Mercedes profits down 40%)
• Nord Stream sabotage spiked German energy costs, crushing manufacturing competitiveness
• Baltimore keeps having disasters (2024 bridge collapse + this week's ship explosion)
**The numbers:**
• Brunswick: 2M+ tons RoRo cargo in 2024, growth rate 3x Baltimore's
• $262M in expansions, capacity hitting 1.4M vehicles
• 90%+ of rail exports are US-made cars
**Top export destinations:**
1. Canada/Mexico (NAFTA advantage)
2. Middle East (luxury SUV demand)
3. Germany/Europe (filling the gap as German automakers fail)
Ironically, Baltimore was traditionally the main US destination for European car imports—now Brunswick is becoming the key port for American cars flowing back to Europe as German manufacturing collapses.
This isn't just about ports—it's about American manufacturing adapting to geography. When you build cars in Georgia, you ship through Georgia.
The Southeast is becoming America's new automotive export powerhouse. 🇺🇸
#Logistics #Automotive #Trade #Manufacturing #Economics
