Posted on July 26, 2018
Governor Larry Hogan and the Maryland Board of Public Works today approved a contract that will complete the fill in of a wet basin at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore’s Fairfield Marine Terminal. When completed, this will create more land to help handle the Port’s surging auto and roll on/roll off (farm and construction machinery) cargo.
“The Port of Baltimore is the number one auto port in the nation and continues to break cargo records every month,” said Governor Hogan. “Our administration is committed to furthering this growth and strongly supports our great Port and its thousands of hardworking men and women handling the millions of tons of cargo coming in throughout the year.”
The Port of Baltimore’s combined public and private auto terminals had a record year in 2017 by handling 807,194 cars and light trucks. It was the first time surpassing the 800,000 car/light truck mark and the seventh consecutive year that Maryland had handled more cars and light trucks than any other U.S. port.
Filling in the wet basin will create seven acres of cargo storage area. This contract will complete the overall project by raising the elevation, adding a new storm drainage system, finished surfacing, lighting, fencing, and a security booth.
Earlier this month, the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) announced the state-owned public marine terminals at the Port of Baltimore set two new monthly records in May. The Port handled 61,058 autos and light trucks besting its previous record of 60,624 set in November 2015. Also, the Port in May handled 90,152 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) containers, the most in one month since August 2017 when it handled 88,391.
That news followed the 312-year-old Port having its best quarter ever during the first quarter of 2018 as a record amount of general cargo and containers made their way through the public marine terminals. A total of 2,765,247 tons of general cargo crossed the public piers during the first three months of 2018, 8 percent more than the first quarter of 2017, which was 2,560,065 tons. Also, the Port handled 156,991 containers during the first quarter, a 14 percent jump over 2017, which was a record year for containers at the Port of Baltimore.
In 2017, the Port of Baltimore’s public and private marine terminals handled 38.4 million tons of cargo, the most since 1979 and the third-highest tonnage in its history. The public marine terminals, managed by the MDOT MPA, handled a record 10.7 million tons of general cargo. It was the second consecutive year the public terminals handled more than 10 million tons of general cargo. Included in the general cargo number was a record 596,972 containers, an 11 percent jump from the previous record set in 2016.
Among the nation’s ports, the Port of Baltimore ranks first for autos and light trucks, roll on/roll off heavy farm and construction machinery, and imported sugar. The Port ranks second in exported coal. Overall, the Port ranks ninth among all ports for the total dollar value of cargo and 12th in foreign cargo tonnage.
Business at the Port of Baltimore generates about 13,650 direct jobs, while about 127,600 jobs in Maryland are linked to Port activities. The Port is responsible for nearly $3 billion in personal wages and salary and more than $300 million in state and local tax revenues.
Source: MPA
