November/December 2013
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The Port of Baltimore
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GOVERNOR’S
Message
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his past year, Maryland made better choices to achieve
better results for our transportation system. From the
passage of the Transportation Infrastructure Investment
Act of 2013 to establishing a new, streamlined process for
public-private partnerships, Maryland will now be able to deliver
projects that will create jobs, expand economic opportunity, better
connect our communities and protect our environment. For the
Maryland Port Administration, 2013 was a year in which better
choices resulted in the continued growth at one of Maryland’s
leading economic engines.
With strategic investments, private-sector partnerships and
support from Maryland’s Congressional Delegation, the Port
of Baltimore continued to advance in the competitive world of
maritime shipping in 2013. Helping to create 5,700 jobs, the long-
anticipated 50-foot deep container berth and four supersized
cranes became operational as the Port of Baltimore became one
of only two East Coast ports able to accommodate some of the
largest ships in the world. Thanks to the Port of Baltimore’s ability
to handle these large ships, Maryland’s economic presence will
be further enhanced with the opening of the widened Panama
Canal in 2015.
The Port of Baltimore was able to build on its “number one port
in the nation” status in 2013 by bringing in new auto accounts such
as Fiat and Mazda. The Port’s geographic advantage as the closest
port to the Midwest, coupled with its strong workforce, provides
companies around the world with easy access to two-thirds of
the U.S. population through an interconnected, multi-modal
transportation system.
Thanks to the ongoing efforts of our hard-working Congressional
Delegation, the Port of Baltimore was successful in receiving $10
million in federal funding in 2013 to widen the 50-foot shipping
channel in the Baltimore Harbor and add rail access and more cargo
handling capacity at the Fairfield Marine Terminal. We were very
happy to welcome Vice President Joe Biden to the Port in September
to officially announce these important federal funds.
Our Administration continues to invest in the Port of Baltimore
as a means of creating jobs, growing our economy and ensuring
prosperity from the middle out. Heading into 2014, we will continue
to make these better choices for a better Port of Baltimore and a
better Maryland.
Martin O’Malley,
Governor
EXECUTIVE
View
Better Choices in 2013 Built a Stronger Transportation System
Keeping an Eye on Ocean Freight Rates and Dredging
A
s we close out 2013 and jump into 2014, there are many
important issues looming for our industry. Two of them
that I will continue watching closely are ocean freight
rates and the progress of a new Water Resources
Development Act (WRDA).
Ocean freight rates need to provide a sustainable return on
investment. Continued overcapacity in today’s container fleet
threatens the entire shipping supply chain as we know it. New
partnerships, or 3Ps, are the best hope we have had in a long time
to reduce losses from overcapacity.
Another potential important change to look forward to in 2014
is the passing of a new WRDA. The continued dredging of our
channels is a matter that all ports wrestle with. As ships get larger
and with the Panama Canal opening a little more than a year away,
there has never been a more opportune time to strongly encourage
the passing of a WRDA. The federal government is supposed to
have a new WRDA passed every two years. It has been seven years
since the last one. In that time, ports have struggled to conduct the
amount of dredging they need to safely accommodate ships. Many
ports, like the Port of Baltimore, have been limited to maintenance
dredging only, as opposed to new work dredging. This has resulted
in lost opportunities for business growth and new jobs. The new
WRDA should also require that money collected for the Harbor
Maintenance Trust Fund be used exclusively for the operation and
maintenance of ports and channels, not for general purposes that
have nothing to do with our industry.
James J. White,
Executive Director
Maryland Port Administration
