Page 25 - Port of Baltimore Sept/Oct 2011

Currently, the Port of Baltimore is
nationally ranked 14th in the handling of
containerized cargo while receiving ships
up to 9,200 TEUs. The ability to process the
super-sized ships will increase container
traffic significantly.
“We’re very excited,” said Mauro Dal
Bo, who manages Mediterranean Shipping
Company’s Baltimore office. “It’s something
people have been asking for, for many years.
The 14,000 TEU ships are already on the
water, and sooner or later they will be here
in Baltimore.”
Dominic Obrigkeit, Senior Vice President
with Evergreen Shipping Agency America’s
International Business Coordination Division,
added, “Deepening berths and harbor
entrances is critical for Baltimore and all
ports on the East Coast to prepare for an
expanded Panama Canal. Carriers will be
able to sail larger ships from Asia to the East
Coast all-water through the canal, and ports
that can handle the larger ships will be more
competitive. Baltimore is doing the right
thing to help its customers — Evergreen and
other ocean carriers.”
Montgomery noted that construction has
proceeded smoothly, and he commended
McClean Contracting Company, which is
building the berth.
“They deserve a pat on the back,” he
said. “They’re doing a really great job. They
built Berths 1, 2 and 3 in the 1980s, and so
it seems natural that they’re doing Berth 4.
We selected them through a bid process but
we’re very pleased about the work they’ve
done. They’re familiar with Seagirt.”
The contractor hasn’t had any unpleasant
surprises — always a challenge in construc-
tion, whether it’s a house or a harbor. For
instance, when old cofferdams were removed,
the dirt was clean enough to be reused by
the Maryland Department of the Environment.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate when you think
what might be buried under a 100-year-old
kitchen,” Montgomery said with a laugh.
The new berth also is constructed to
reduce its impact on the environment; a
storm water management system collects
storm water and runs it through a series of
baffles to clean it before the water enters the
harbor, a system that is the first of its kind in
this region.
Not only has the actual construction of
the berth created jobs, but Ports America
Chesapeake made an initial payment of $140
million to the state for an I-95 connector for
the project, creating additional jobs.
“The partnership has been a great one,”
Montgomery said. “We’re working closely
with the Maryland Port Administration.
We’ve been a longtime partner of the Port,
since 1921, and this has just strengthened
the relationship.”
The new berth makes Baltimore one of only two ports
on the East Coast that will be able to handle some of the
largest ships in the world.
September/October 2011 ■ The Port of Baltimore [23]