Page 11 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Nov/Dec 2011

To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com November/December 2011 ■ The Port of Baltimore [9]
the Port SOUNDINGS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OFMARYLAND GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
BLAISE WILLIG
The Maryland 9/11 Memorial that was dedicated under rainy skies in September actually consists
of three monuments: one features beams from the New York World Trade Center’s North Tower, top
left, one features three polished granite slabs representing Flight 93, top right, and one features
limestone pieces from the west wall of the Pentagon.
AUTOS
— . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — .
Port on a Roll with
Nation’s Most Auto Tonnage
T he Port of Baltimore found itself No. 1 on the hit
parade this past summer, when it was ranked as
the top port in the country for international auto
tonnage, just ahead of perennial leader New York.
The data measured the auto tonnage for the first six
months of 2011, and the Port of Baltimore handled more
than 538,000 tons, a personal best.
OUTREACH
— . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . —
Seafarers’ Center Expands
for Even Better Service
The ribbon was recently snipped on
the newly renovated Stella Maris
International Seafarers’ Center, a non-
profit outreach effort initiated in 2003 by
the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore. The
center’s volunteers serve more than 12,000
seafarers per year, providing transportation,
donated goods and other support.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, which
took place on October 15 and was
attended by Archbishop Edwin
F. O’Brien, celebrated
various renovations and
the addition of a chapel,
lounge and patio with
a covered gazebo. The
Dundalk-based center
allows seafarers to
relax, make a phone
call or use computers
to connect via Skype
to family members.
“A couple of months
ago, a young man
from the Philippines saw his newborn baby
for the first time,” said the Rev. Msgr. John
FitzGerald, who oversees the Apostleship of
the Sea ministry that operates the center.
Joined at the ceremony by U.S. Rep
Helen Delich Bentley, George “Bud” Nixon,
president of the Board of Directors for
the 18-year-old Baltimore International
Seafarers’ Center at Locust Point, noted
that the two seafarers’ centers “jointly
service” the mariners who come to the Port.
“It’s our goal to have Baltimore be known
as the friendliest international port in the
world,” Nixon said.
DEDICATION
— . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . — . . — . — . — . —
9/11 Memorial Rests
Outside MPA Headquarters
T he new 9/11 Memorial of Maryland,
which was dedicated on the 10th
anniversary of the terrorist attacks,
is located outside Baltimore’s World
Trade Center, which is the headquarters
of the Maryland Port Administration
(MPA) and other agencies. The memorial
honors the 68 Marylanders who lost
their lives at the Pentagon, New York’s
World Trade Center and Shanksville, Pa.,
in September 2001.
The memorial consists of limestone
slabs removed from the Pentagon
building and three steel beams from the
north tower of New York’s World Trade
Center. The beams had been transported
from New York by Bowman Logistics, a
division of D.M. Bowman, Inc., and stored
temporarily at the Port of Baltimore.
The dedication was attended by 1,000
guests, including Gov. Martin O’Malley,
Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Baltimore
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. As Gov.
O’Malley noted, “On September 11, 2001,
we told one another that we would never,
ever forget. And we won’t.”
Above: Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien, left, and
Msgr. John FitzGerald bless a memorial for seafarers.