Maersk could offer limited Baltimore barge service

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's Maersk may resume some shipping services at the U.S. Port of Baltimore when a temporary channel is opened to give access for commercially essential vessels that remain blocked by a collapsed bridge, the company said on Wednesday.

"This channel, with a controlling depth of 20 feet, could potentially allow Maersk and other carriers to operate limited barge services into and out of the Port of Baltimore," Maersk said in a statement.

The group last Wednesday said the port's alternate shipping channels were not deep enough to accommodate the oceangoing container vessels that Maersk and other carriers use.

A container ship chartered by the Danish group collided with the Baltimore's harbour bridge last month, causing the structure to collapse. Six people died in the incident.

The Singapore-flagged Dali vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and managed by Synergy Marine Group. There were no Maersk crew members on board.

Baltimore shipping is set to resume its full capacity by the end of May.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik)