Page 18 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Jan/Feb 2013

Coming off a record year in 2012, the Port of
Baltimore is going into 2013 with an internal
forecast that shows continued growth for many
of our key commodities. At the same time, we
are still closely monitoring the economic situations in
Europe and China to gauge how that might impact global
commerce. While growth is always our goal, we also want
to make sure we maintain our U.S.-leading market share in
several key cargos.
Our updated strategic plan for the public marine terminals
continues to chart our growth. That plan recommends
cargo diversity and concentrating our efforts on five key
commodities: autos, roll-on/roll-off (farm and construction
machinery), containers, cruise and forest products. Last
year, autos at the Port of Baltimore were up 17 percent
coming off a record year in 2011. Auto exports were up 27
percent.
The Port of Baltimore enjoys a 48 percent East Coast
market share of farm and construction machinery. Our
proximity as the closest East Coast port to the Midwest
enables manufacturers to get their products to our Port
faster and less expensively than to other ports. In 2012,
roll-on/roll-off cargo was up 16 percent as we handled a
record of nearly 1.1 million tons. As the economy continues
modest growth, roll-on/roll-off should continue on a good
path in 2013.
Another key cargo of ours, containers were up 7.22 percent
in 2012. We are very excited about the future of containers
at the Port of Baltimore thanks to our public-private
partnership with Ports America Chesapeake that has built
a 50-foot-deep container berth and installed four state-of-
the-art supersized cranes. This partnership has allowed the
Port to become only one of two East Coast ports that will be
ready to handle some of the largest container ships in the
world when the Panama Canal project is completed in 2015.
However, we are not waiting until then! We can now receive
large ships that travel through the Suez Canal, bringing
more cargo and more man-hours to Maryland. In addition to
this partnership, CSX’s plans to construct a new intermodal
facility in Baltimore will give the Port a much-needed and
long-awaited ability to handle double-stacked container
trains. If priced competitively by CSX, this will open up
new markets and allow us to further grow this important
business.
Our newest strategic commodity — cruise — has also been
a bright light for our state. Last year, more than 240,000
people sailed on a cruise from the Port of Baltimore, which
was our second-greatest year ever. Since moving in 2006
into our current cruise terminal right off Interstate 95,
more than one million passengers have sailed from our
Port. Our year-round cruising program includes two of the
most popular cruise lines in the world, Royal Caribbean
and Carnival. We regularly see cars parked at our cruise
terminal from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, North
Carolina and Ohio. We are also positioned within the
third-largest U.S. consumer market and in a state with the
highest median household income in the nation. These
factors lead us to believe that cruising has a very promising
future at the Port of Baltimore.
While these are all good indicators that show our Port
trending in the right direction, it is important to note that
these successes would not happen without the thousands
of men and women that comprise our outstanding Port
labor force. Going forward, they will be a key reason for our
growth and ability to remain as one of Maryland’s main
economic generators.
James J. White, Executive Director
Maryland Port Administration
Port Report
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CHARTING OUR C ONTINUED GROWTH AT PUBLIC TERMINALS
[16] The Port of Baltimore ■ January/February 2013
Port Report Photography by Bill McAllen and Jeff Sauers