Posted on May 25, 2017
By Ethan McLeod, Baltimore Fishbowl
The folks down at the Port of Baltimore are grinding hard, and they’re accruing the awards and data to show for it. According to newly released figures, the port broke a quarterly record already this year for general cargo.
The exact number was 2,560,065 tons of general cargo, which primarily comprises shipping containers, farm and construction equipment and forest products like paper and pulp. Those 2.56 million tons marked a 4.8 percent increase over the first three months of 2016.
The port, officially named the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, announced its achievement in a series of tweets. According to this one, the boost was due in part to a 6 percent bump in cars and 8 percent increase in containers.
The port’s deep canal has positioned it for success in recent years, particularly with the arrival of mega-sized container ships coming in through the newly widened Panama Canal. It also has the technology – specifically, “super-sized cranes” that can handle more cargo from the plus-sized carriers than many other ports around the country.
The record-setting quarter adds to a strong recent few years for the port. Last year, it was named the most productive port in the country for the third straight time in two years (and twice in two full years) and surpassed 10 million tons of cargo.
The 2.56-million ton mark is a milestone achievement for three months. At that rate, the port is on pace to have another record-setting year. Adding that accomplishment to the recent heroics of some beetle-spotting border patrol agents, there’s been plenty to celebrate at Baltimore’s resurgent waterfront cargo center this year.
Source: Baltimore Fishbowl
