Port of Baltimore Sets Cargo Container Handling Record

The Port of Baltimore’s public marine terminals set a record by handling 632,482 full-size cargo containers from April 2010 through March 2011, the best 12-month period in the port’s history.  

The previous record for full-size cargo containers was set between February 2006 and January 2007, before the national economic downturn, when 629,604 containers were handled.

Compared to last fiscal year, the number of cargo containers handled at the port is up 13 percent; the number of automobiles coming through the port is up 21 percent; and the imported roll on/roll off—farm and construction equipment, imported forest products, gypsum, sugar and iron ore—is up 41 percent this fiscal year.

“This is another positive sign of an economy that is getting back on track,” said Governor Martin O’Malley in statement. “In the last few years, the Port of Baltimore has been successful in securing major international container shipping companies to long-term contracts.”

In the last three years, the port has signed multi-year, long-term contract extensions with major international container shipping companies Evergreen Marine and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), according to a press release accompanying the announcement. The extensions are expected to guarantee the transport of containers through the Port of Baltimore for the next several years, supporting the growth of maritime business, as well as sustaining and increasing port jobs.

The Mediterranean Shipping Company also began a new direct, weekly container service from the port to the Far East called the Golden Gate service. That service has both increased MSC’s total vessel calls and the number of their container cargos through the port.    

O’Malley said the new contracts and the direct container service to the Far East are key reasons for increased business, and will help maintain a stable labor environment for thousands of jobs at the port.

Out of approximately 360 U.S. ports, Baltimore is ranked first for handling imported roll on/roll off.

The Port of Virginia in Norfolk handles the most cargo containers in the U.S. Baltimore is ranked second for exporting cars.

Activities at the Port of Baltimore generate nearly $400 million in state and local taxes. The Port of Baltimore generates about 16,700 direct jobs, and is responsible for about $3.7 billion in personal wage and salary income, according to a press release from the port.