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March/April 201 2
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The Port of Baltimore
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expansion, and Maryland already is seeing
the economic payoff,” the Governor said.
“This new berth for the larger ships, great
rail access and our partnership with Ports
America are key reasons that Hapag-Lloyd
chose to make the Port of Baltimore its first
U.S. port of call for their new Gulf of Mexico
Express service. Together, as partners, we
will be creating jobs today and tomorrow
for Maryland families as one of only two
U.S. East Coast ports to have both a 50-foot
channel and 50-foot berth.”
U.S. Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger
added, "An agreement like this means
more ship traffic and cargo for the Port
of Baltimore and more jobs for Maryland
families. The Port is the backbone of industry
in the State of Maryland, and I will continue
working with the rest of our Congressional
delegation to secure much-needed federal
support to keep it competitive."
Ports America Chesapeake President
and CEO Mark Montgomery said that
Hapag-Lloyd and his stevedoring firm have
relationships in 84 Ports America terminals.
He added that Baltimore’s strategic location
within the enormous consumer markets
of the East Coast and Midwest, coupled
with the Port’s highly efficient labor force,
makes it a good choice for Hapag-Lloyd.
Montgomery cited another large Port-
related infrastructure project as a factor
in attracting container traffic to the new
Seagirt Marine Terminal.
“Baltimore’s strong local market and
access to the CSX National Gateway should
provide customers faster, more economical
ways to market,” he said.
CSX has partnered with the federal
government and the governors of six states
and the District of Columbia on one of the
largest infrastructure projects since the
railroads were built. The Maryland segment
of the $860 million project includes the
relocation of the CSX intermodal facility
outside of the Seagirt Marine Terminal. The
new facility will strengthen the direct link
from the Port of Baltimore to the midwest.
The move also frees up valuable space at
the terminal for the predicted increase in
container traffic when the Panama Canal
expansion is complete in 2014.
The modernization of the facilities at
the Port of Baltimore through public-private
partnerships, coupled with what the MPA’s
White calls the “best longshoremen in the
country,” have attracted three of the world’s
top five container shipping companies.