Page 32 - Port of Baltimore Jan/Feb 2011

[32] The Port of Baltimore ■ January/February 2011 To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com
“We do helicopters a fair amount, but
projects this big are kind of unusual,”
Terminal Manager Rod Pickens said.
Cynthia Burman, Trade Development
Manager for the Maryland Port Administration
(MPA), added, “It was just a patriotic moment
watching these helicopters fly in, knowing
they will be used to help our military and
that we were instrumental in obtaining this
business for the Port of Baltimore.”
When Mid-Atlantic Terminal met with
Army representatives, they toured the
facilities and studied the equipment
available. “We also introduced them to some
of our labor who have handled helicopters
and shipments of this nature before,”
said Colleen Dinisio, Customer Care and
Administration Team Leader for Mid-Atlantic
Terminal Region Americas. “They were
impressed by the layout of Mid-Atlantic
Terminal’s facility as well as the security of
the port itself. We have handled numerous
helicopter shipments before and were able
to assure them we knew what was involved
and were able to convey to them confidently
that this would be handled efficiently, safely
and beyond their expectations.”
Charles Silver, Maintenance and Field
Lead for the U.S. Cargo Project Management
Office, said his office looked at several ports
but knew that Boeing, which manufactures
the helicopters, had used the Port of
Baltimore for exports. They also wanted to
be close to New Jersey, where the helicopters
were modified before being flown to the Port.
“We were very impressed with the
people who worked for Mid-Atlantic and the
Port of Baltimore,” Silver said. “They drove it
home that they could handle the mission.”
Once the Army settled on Baltimore, the
Port rivaled the military with its planning for
the operation. The initial stages included
finding a vessel and completing the
paperwork for the right of entry to fly into
the Port. Arrangements were also made
with MPA General Manager of Terminal