William P. Doyle abruptly resigned Friday from his position as the director of the Maryland Port Administration, immediately transferring the leadership post to his deputy, according to a state ports spokesperson.

Port administration spokesperson Richard Scher said Monday that the agency “cannot discuss details of personnel matters” but confirmed Doyle’s resignation, adding that Deputy Executive Director Brian Miller is now serving as interim acting executive director of the agency that oversees the Port of Baltimore.

The sudden changeover marked a sharp end to Doyle’s nearly three years leading the port during a tumultuous time for the global supply chain as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international trade. Despite those turmoil, the local maritime complex saw significant growth as it avoided problems affecting larger and busier ports on the West Coast and elsewhere.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan appointed Doyle, the CEO of Dredging Contractors of America and a former federal maritime commissioner, in July 2020 to lead the Maryland Port Administration months after James J. White, the longtime director, resigned from the post.

While Doyle oversaw the Port of Baltimore, the state invested in larger cranes, dredging, ship berths and a project to expand the aging Howard Street Tunnel, a critical chokepoint for cargo moving to and from the port by rail. President Joe Biden and others in his administration also appeared at Seagirt to tout investments in ports in federal infrastructure legislation.

Doyle’s tenure also saw the growth of Tradepoint Atlantic, the sprawling logistics center in Sparrows Point in Baltimore County where tenants such as BMW and offshore wind developer US Wind have taken advantage of the development’s proximity to the Dundalk and Seagirt marine terminals. Owner of the complex announced plan in October to invest in an on-site container terminal.

He took a key role in updating the public last year whenthe administration led efforts to refloat a massive container ship thatran aground in the Chesapeake Bay after departing the Port of Baltimore.

It was not clear why Doyle resigned, or why his resignation was immediate. He was pictured on social media meeting with officials from the Port Authority of Jamaica on Wednesday, two days before he left the agency.

Three days before his resignation, Doyle, 54, was issued traffic citations after he was involved in a four-vehicle collision on Interstate 83, according to Maryland State Police, who said Doyle was operating a state-issued Jeep and crashed into a Ford pickup truck that had pulled onto the shoulder behind two other vehicles.

The crash at about 8:30 a.m. June 13 caused a “chain reaction with the two other vehicles stopped in front of the Ford,” and Doyle left the scene but later called police, who met him at the crash site, police said. Nobody was injured in the collision.

Doyle did not respond to requests to comment.

A spokesperson for Gov. Wes Moore’s office said the governor is “aware and monitoring” Doyle’s resignation but declined to comment further on the matter.