Page 18 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Nov/Dec 2012

PORT AUTOS
[16] The Port of Baltimore ■ November/December 2012
W hen Superstorm Sandy pummeled the
northeast in late October, leaving the
port of Newark, NJ, in shambles, the
Port of Baltimore was ready, willing
and able to receive six car-carrying
vessels that needed to be diverted. After all, what were
a few thousand more cars for a Port projected to handle
650,000 vehicles in 2012?
Earlier in the year, the Port of Baltimore had, for
the first time ever, surpassed the port of New York to
become No. 1 in the nation for auto imports. At the six-
month mark, 313,000 cars had rolled through, putting
Baltimore well on pace for a record year.
Other good news surrounds the Port’s auto business.
For instance, Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC,
which has been using the Port for 20 years, renewed
its long-term contract with vehicle processor AMPORTS
this fall; and Mitsubishi, which just started making the
Outlander Sport in Bloomington, Ill., announced that it will
send them by rail to the Port of Baltimore and from there
to customers in Russia, the Ukraine and the Mideast.
What’s driving Baltimore to be such an automotive
success story? The Port boasts a confluence of factors:
The Port brings together several major ocean carriers,
a ready supply of vehicle processors, easily accessible
highway and railroad options, and a shorter route to the
Midwest where cars are manufactured. Plus, Baltimore
is situated in a heavily populated region where a big