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The Port of Baltimore
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January/February 2014
S
TRATEGIC
P
LAN
T
RANSLATES
I
NTO
S
TRONG
P
ERFORMANCE
Port Report Photography by Bill McAllen
T
he public marine terminals at the Port of
Baltimore produced another strong year in 2013,
with most of our key commodities experiencing
growth. While worldwide economic conditions
will always have a strong impact on our performance,
our top goal will continue to be growing our market
share.
The Maryland Port Administration crafted a strategic
plan for the Port’s public marine terminals that we
continue to follow today. Promoting cargo diversity
has greatly enhanced our overall performance and
has helped us in recessionary times and times of
economic uncertainty. Our strategic plan recommended
concentrating our efforts on four key commodities:
autos, roll-on/roll-off (farm and construction
machinery), containers and forest products. We have
recently added cruise to that list.
The cargo commodities help to comprise the general
cargo tonnage at the Port of Baltimore. In 2013, general
cargo reached 9.6 million tons at the public terminals,
matching 2012’s record year. Most of that tonnage was
containers, which saw improvement from last year.
The Port of Baltimore’s container business is clearly
trending up with the newly operational 50-foot-deep
berth and four super-post-Panamax cranes. Baltimore is
one of only two U.S. East Coast ports ready right now to
handle some of the largest ships in the world. Through
a unique public-private partnership with Ports America
Chesapeake, we are in a very competitive position to
welcome supersized ships today from the Suez Canal
and tomorrow through the expanded Panama Canal.
The Port of Baltimore strengthened its hold on being
the top auto port in the U.S. for the third straight year by
handling a record 578,000 cars at the public terminals
in 2013. A solid year by some of our longtime auto
accounts, combined with the Port’s unique white-glove
quality program and geographic advantage as the
closest East Coast port to the Midwest, continue to be
key factors in our success. Baltimore’s reputation for
vehicle handling is also boosted by the presence of four
on-dock vehicle processors.
While rolled paper saw a slight increase from 2012,
our other main forest product cargo, wood pulp, had
an outstanding 22 percent jump from the year before.
Wood pulp is used to manufacture common everyday
items such as paper
towels, napkins, tissues
and diapers. Roll-on/
roll-off was the only one
of our key cargos that
did not perform well
last year. The unstable
European economy
contributed greatly
to that cargo’s poor
performance at many
seaports, including Baltimore. However, even with the
down year, Baltimore still maintained its number one
U.S. market share.
The Port’s cruise business again saw a very positive
year, with more than 200,000 passengers for the fourth
consecutive year. Since launching year-round cruising
five years ago, Baltimore today has established itself
as one of the busiest cruise ports on the East Coast.
Our location within one of the largest and most affluent
U.S. consumer markets makes Baltimore an ideal cruise
port. The cruise terminal itself is aided by a wonderful
location immediately off Interstate 95 and an easy drive
for both Maryland residents and those coming from
neighboring states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, New
Jersey and Delaware.
Growth in our cargo and cruise portfolios are certainly
vital to our overall success. However, what pleases me
just as much is the Port’s leading role in our state as
a major economic generator. More than 14,600 direct
jobs are generated by the Port of Baltimore. These
are good-paying, family-supporting, blue-collar jobs.
Nearly 110,000 jobs throughout Maryland are linked to
activities from the Port. Without a healthy, vibrant and
bustling Port of Baltimore, many of those jobs would
be lost.
Heading into 2014, I am very confident that the Port of
Baltimore will continue to build on its successes of the
past few years and, more importantly, continue in its
role as one of Maryland’s leading job creators.
James J. White,
Executive Director
Maryland Port Administration
2013
PORT
report
executive
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