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July/August 201 2
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The Port of Baltimore
[
7
]
governor’s
Message
I
t has been a good first half of 2012 for the Port of Baltimore.
Construction is finished on our new 50-foot-deep container
berth. Four super-post-Panamax cranes arrived in June and
will be operational by September. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
announced that it would bring the new and improved
Grandeur of
the Seas
ship to Maryland in 2013 following a nearly $50 million
renovation. And Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest container
shipping company, began a weekly service from North Europe
to the Port of Baltimore that could create almost 600 new jobs.
That strong momentum has also carried over to our docks,
where we continue to see good performances from many of our
key commodities. During the first six months of this year, farm
and construction machinery was up 36 percent, autos were up 27
percent, and containers were up seven percent. Overall, our public
marine terminals handled 4.8 million tons of general cargo, which
was the best first half of any previous year. The prior record was
established during the pre-recession first half of 2008.
Not to be outdone by our cargo business, cruising from the
Port of Baltimore continues to be a winner. Every ship that has
sailed from Baltimore this year has sailed at full capacity. We
also continue to attract many cruise passengers that drive to our
port from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey,
Virginia and North Carolina.
Heading into the second half of 2012, we hope to build on
our strong start. In a few weeks we will officially open the new
deep berth with its four new cranes. We are working to continue
trending up with our key cargo commodities. On the cruise side,
we expect all remaining cruises this year to be full of excited
passengers as they leave our port for the vacation of their dreams.
Continuing the early momentum through the remainder of this year
will ensure another successful year for our port.
James J. White,
Executive Director
T
he future has arrived at the Port of Baltimore. Four super-
sized cranes, each standing 400 feet tall, weighing 1,550
tons and known in the maritime industry as super-post-
Panamax, arrived at the Port in June amid great fanfare.
Maybe you were fortunate and witnessed the ship carrying these
massive cranes creep beneath two of Maryland’s landmark
structures—the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Francis Scott
Key Bridge. Careful planning by state and federal agencies ensured
that the vessel proceeded safely under both bridges.
After arriving at the Port of Baltimore, the cranes were off-
loaded onto the new 50-foot-deep container berth at Seagirt
Marine Terminal. This new berth was made possible by our unique
public-private partnership with Ports America Chesapeake. The
purchase of the cranes, which were fully funded by Ports America,
along with the construction of the new deep berth are central
elements in our partnership agreement with the long-time leader
in the maritime industry.
We entered this public-private partnership to create jobs and
ensure the future success of the Port of Baltimore. By joining with
our partner, we were able to construct an important $100 million
project, which will provide for the future economic competitiveness
of the Port. The new berth will allow us to accommodate the extra-
large container ships that will soon be able to travel through the
Panama Canal to bring more cargo to East Coast ports.
By working together, we are generating 5,700 new jobs from
this agreement. In the short term, this includes jobs created by the
construction of the berth and improvements to Maryland roads. In
the long term, we will see jobs that will result from the sustained
and increased container business that the Port will see after the
completion of the Panama Canal expansion.
By embracing innovation, partnership and sound fiscal
management, we have formed the solid foundation on which we
intend to build the future of the Port of Baltimore.
Martin O’Malley,
Governor
executive
View
A Supersized Step Toward Increased Container Business
Making The Most Of Our Forward Momentum
