Page 9 - Port of Baltimore Magazine - July/August 2013
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July/August 2013
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The Port of Baltimore
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GOVERNOR’S
Message
I
n its more than 300-year history, the Port of Baltimore has
been the beating heart at the center of our State. It’s connected
Baltimore City with the rest of the country and with economies
half a world away.
In 2012, we moved more cars, farm machinery and construction
equipment through Baltimore than any other port in the country.
We also imported more sugar, aluminum and forest products than
any other port. And out of 360 ports across the country, we’re
second for importing iron and exporting coal.
Progress is a choice. Working together with our partners in
the private sector, we continue to move our economy forward
by creating jobs and expanding opportunity for all Marylanders.
Maryland is leading the region in job creation; in 2013, we’ve
created jobs faster than any other state in the Mid-Atlantic. Our
dynamic private sector is leading our job growth, creating nine
out of every 10 new jobs. Together, we’ve recovered more than 99
percent of the jobs lost in the national recession.
The Port is one of Maryland’s greatest job creators. The Port
currently supports more than 40,000 jobs for Marylanders,
including jobs in trucking, railroads, labor, terminal operations,
freight forwarding and more.
This past session, we made better choices to build a modern
economy. Together, with members of the General Assembly, we
passed the historic Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act
of 2013. This Transportation Act will support more than 57,200
jobs and will invest an average of $800 million a year at full
implementation for transportation projects. The Transportation
Act will provide a total of $4.4 billion in the next six years (FY
2014-FY 2019), enabling Maryland to build a sustainable, 21st-
century transportation system.
These better choices already have yielded better results for
Marylanders. Since signing the Transportation Act into law, we
have announced more than $1.5 billion in new funds to advance
highway and transit projects throughout the State, including
construction of major highway and bridge projects that will
improve safety and support economic development.
With the passage of this legislation, coupled with the continued
strong economic presence of the Port, we now have all the pieces
in place to put people back to work in the transportation industry,
create hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and
provide Marylanders with the transportation infrastructure
necessary to grow and prosper for decades.
Martin O’Malley,
Governor
EXECUTIVE
View
A Job Boost Within the Transportation Industry
Seeing Positive Signs as We Grow Market Share
H
eading into the second half of calendar year 2013, there
are several reasons to be optimistic about the Port of
Baltimore’s key commodity performances.
General cargo from our public marine terminals was
up almost five percent in June and is now on par with last year’s
record of 9.59 million tons.
Containers are also holding steady with last year’s record
year. Through the first six months of 2013, containers at our public
terminals were up one percent over last year’s record of 6.29
million tons. Earlier this year, our container business received a
huge lift when our new 50-foot-deep container berth and super-
post-Panamax cranes became operational. We have placed
ourselves in a very competitive position to attract some of the
largest ships in the world today through the Suez Canal, and very
soon through the Panama Canal when that expansion project is
completed in 2015.
One of our other key commodities, autos, moved forward in
2013. Autos were up nearly nine percent through June compared
to the first six months of 2012, which was a record year for autos.
In June, the Port of Baltimore exported a record 22,997 cars. We
also welcomed our newest auto partner, Fiat, which is bringing
30,000 cars through our Port over the next year.
While farm and construction equipment continues to struggle
due primarily to the European economy, Baltimore still maintains
the top U.S. market share. Baltimore also remains number one in
the nation for imported forest products, and that is led by wood
pulp, which is up 42 percent from 2012 and having a very strong
year.
As we finish out 2013, we are hopeful that Europe will right
itself and the market there will get back to what it’s capable of.
In the meantime, the Port of Baltimore will continue marching
forward under our goal of growing market share and serving as
one of Maryland’s key economic generators.
James J. White,
Executive Director
Maryland Port Administration
