Page 21 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Jan/Feb 2013

It was a record year for roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) in 2012 at the Port of
Baltimore, with nearly 1.1 million tons of pure ro/ro cargo handled.
That total was up 16 percent from 2011 and surpassed the previous
record of 969,272 tons set in 2008. Ro/ro at the Port of Baltimore
has continued the year-to-year growth it has been experiencing
since the downturn of 2008. Last year, imported ro/ro was up 29
percent and exports were up five percent. Just as important to note
is the growth also experienced by the Port’s large and diverse group
of competing ro/ro carriers — the vast majority of which booked
increased tonnages during the year.
The ro/ro mix between imports and exports is changing. Import
tonnage driven by our strategic location to much of the U.S. population
continued to grow aggressively. The Port of Baltimore’s reputation
for efficiency, quality and labor are also main factors encouraging
shippers and carriers to use this Port as their first point of entry.
Export tonnage, while still growing, is being affected by worldwide
strategic changes in manufacturing locations made by U.S. and
international companies using the Port of Baltimore. Challenges in
export growth are expected in the future, as some additional high and
heavy manufacturing facilities are scheduled to come online in 2013.
Efforts to expand our base to include additional manufacturers will be a
main focal point for 2013.
The overall increase in ro/ro cargo is an achievement to be proud of,
and one that the Port of Baltimore will work to maintain and grow
more. Weakening demand in Europe, China and Brazil could present
challenges to this growth for 2013. Our emphasis will be placed on the
Port’s continued commitment to ro/ro,
our quality programs such as QCHAT,
the Ro/Ro Rodeo and a very skilled
labor force.
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
ROLL-ON/ROLL-OFF
Change
in Tons
2011
2012 1,091,520 Tons
2011 938,675 Tons
PERCENT CHANGE +16%
PREVIOUS RECORD
2008 – 969,272 Tons
2012
Roll-On/
Roll-Off
NEW
RECORDSET
January/February 2013 ■ The Port of Baltimore [19]
TONS