Page 31 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Jan/Feb 2013

W ith a 50-foot-deep
container berth and
four super-post-
Panamax cranes now
fully operational,
Seagirt Marine Terminal welcomes a new
dawn at the Port of Baltimore — one
that demonstrates the innovative and
progressive spirit of the Port.
“It’s an exciting thing to be able to
put that berth to work,” Ports America
Chesapeake President and CEO Mark
Montgomery said during a recent
gathering of the Maryland/Washington
D.C. District Export Council (DEC).
The cranes at Berth IV are certified for
14,000-TEU vessels, which means that
Seagirt is able to handle the largest class
of ships that will be arriving in greater
numbers as a result of the Panama Canal
expansion. Work at the canal is expected
to be completed in 2015. “The Port is
ready for it!” Montgomery exclaimed.
Under an innovative public-private
partnership between the Maryland
Port Administration (MPA) and Ports
America Chesapeake, construction on
Seagirt’s 50-foot-deep berth concluded
in 2012. Baltimore is currently one of
only two ports on the U.S. East Coast
ready to receive some of the world’s
largest container vessels, such as the
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
Joanna.
Seagirt Marine Terminal BY THE NUMBERS
SIZE: 284 acres
BERTHS: One 50-ft.-draft, 1,225-ft. container berth.
Three 45-ft.-draft container berths (two 1,028 ft., one 1,071 ft.).
CRANES: Four 50-long-ton super-post-Panamax ZMPC cranes.
Three dual-hoist and four single-hoist post-Panamax container
cranes. Twelve rubber-tired gantry cranes.
A New Day for
SEAGIRT
BILL MCALLEN