Rail, port operations in Baltimore not affected by unrest

Southwest Airlines cancelled some flights Tuesday after Monday’s riots over alleged police misconduct.    The protests and riots Monday in Baltimore over alleged police misconduct have had a minimal impact on interstate or international transportation.
   Southwest Airlines on Tuesday cancelled 10 early morning departures from Baltimore-Washington International Airport because of concern that employees and passengers might have difficulty using public transportation to safely get to their jobs, officials told Bloomberg News. A state-imposed curfew until 5 a.m. also made it difficult for early-shift workers to get to the airport, which is located 12 miles south of downtown. 
   The Port of Baltimore was operating as usual, Maryland Port Administration spokesman Richard Scher said in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon.
   “We have a full port today, with eight cargo ships and one cruise ship. Cargo ships are being handled as normal. Cruise passengers are arriving for their cruise, which will leave tonight around 5 p.m.,” he said.
   There also have not been any problems with longshoremen missing shifts because of the unrest, an official at the Steamship Trade Association of Baltimore said.
   CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said the freight railroad, which has a line that goes through the city, has not experienced any impact to its operations.
   Barcoding, Inc., based in Baltimore, reopened its office Wednesday after closing Monday afternoon and Tuesday. Although its operations are not close to the protests, the company said in an e-mail to customers that the decision was made to ensure the safety of its people until officials could assess the extent and state of the situation.
   Barcoding, a systems integrator for automated data capture solutions such as barcoding, wireless and radio frequency identification for package tracking and inventory, said that it operated at near maximum level because most of its staff were able to work remotely from home.