Page 134 - Rukert - 100th Anniversary

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Ad celebrating Rukert Terminals' 100th anniversary
50 percent of annual tonnage. Since 2015, that percentage has fluctuated from 10 to 30 percent. Moving into the third decade of the 21st century, a changing climate has rendered the regional demand
for deicing salt more unpredictable, leaving it stockpiled on company property. With finite space at the terminal, cargoes that turn over regularly throughout the year are ideal. Today, the company’s top movers are forest products and wood pulp. Together they have shifted the ratio of bulk
to break-bulk tonnage and supplanted deicing salt as the company’s leading cargo.
In addition to expert handling of bulk
and break-bulk, Rukert has more experience handling wind equipment than any other terminal in Baltimore. In the decade since the company unloaded its first wind towers, components have increased in size, making each project a fresh challenge. In the summer of 2021, several vessels brought components for 23 wind turbines en route to West Virginia. Each turbine is comprised of six steel tower sections that range in weight from 43 to 61 metric tons. In addition, each turbine has three fiberglass blades weighing 22 metric tons. The turbine blades are 260 feet long, which makes them the largest cargo ever handled at Rukert Terminals and the largest cargo allowed on the roads!
The wind project components were discharged from the vessel with the Liebherr and Terex 275 cranes in tandem, stored adjacent to the pier and loaded onto specialized trucks with three steerable axles. Over the course of several weeks, employees loaded 350 trucks bound for the Black Rock Wind Farm. Once assembled, the 350-foot-tall turbines will produce enough green energy to power 34,000 homes, keeping 298,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide (Co2) emissions from the atmosphere.
Successful completion of this latest wind project is the culmination of 100 years of tradition and progress at Rukert Terminals. A century in business and a “can do” philosophy gave the company the confidence to handle the massive wind components. In addition, Rukert Terminals’ prime location with easy access to the highway as well as the company’s state-of-the-art facilities and equipment made the project feasible. And above all, the skill and care of dedicated employees made it happen.
In 2021, a century after two entrepreneurial brothers took an $800 loan to start a business, Rukert Terminals repaid the money it borrowed from PNC Bank to purchase Rukert Riverview. It took only four years for the company to pay off the biggest loan in its history. This achievement speaks to Cap Rukert’s enduring legacy. The company founder always said, “Borrow what you need to grow and improve, pay it off quickly with the profits, then do it again.”
The Rukert Terminals Corporation is a 100-year-old, continuously family-owned and operated business in the Port of Baltimore, making it a dream realized. Three generations of Cap Rukert’s descendants have carried out his vision to transform the Clinton Street waterfront into a world-renowned marine terminal. But there is always more work to be done. Cap’s presence transcends time, pushing the company to keep going and growing.
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