Page 23 - Port of Baltimore Magazine January/February 2016

REPORT 2016
Containers
It was another record year for containers and another year where the Port of Baltimore was named the most efficient container port in the nation. More than 538,000 containers were handled over the public marine terminals, which was a 3 percent jump over the previous record set in 2015.
Last year, Baltimore welcomed its first big container ship that came through the newly expanded Panama Canal. The Port is one of only a few East Coast ports that has the necessary infrastructure today that can accommodate some of the largest ships in the world. The Evergreen Ever Lambent arrived in Maryland in July, and since then, Baltimore has welcomed other big ships as well. Since 2015, the Port’s 2M service with Maersk and MSC has brought additional container business to Maryland utilizing Neo-Panamax-sized ships through the Suez Canal. Shippers have responded very favorably to these service options and are taking advantage of Baltimore’s location in the third largest consumer market. This year, another restructuring of ocean carrier alliances will result in only three major options for shippers and two of them have already committed service to Baltimore.
For the third consecutive time, the Port was named the most efficient container port in the U.S.
by the Journal of Commerce. Baltimore averaged 71 container moves per hour per berth. More shippers have taken advantage of terminal and gate efficiencies at the Seagirt Marine Terminal. That facility is operated
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
CONTAINERS
2016: 538,567 Units 2015: 523,848 Units PERCENT CHANGE: +2.81%
by Ports America Chesapeake under a unique public-private agreement with the Maryland Port Administration (MPA).
Working together, the MPA and
Ports America Chesapeake have also
made improvements for truckers. There are
now more inbound and outbound truck lanes at Seagirt. RFID tag technology is now being used and new chassis are available with LED lights and radials. An additional gate complex will open in the first quarter of 2017 to provide even more capacity for container movement through the terminal.
Many distribution centers are located within
only a few hours of the Port. In addition, millions
of square feet of new warehouse space are being planned or under development. These are all very positive contributors to the Port continuing to evolve as a leading container port on the East Coast.
With all of these improvements and developments, the Port is poised for continued success in the container trade.
2015
2016
NEW RECORD
SET
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