Facility Expansion: Baltimore

Baltimore: Port Administration Purchases Property to Support Trade Expansion

To accommodate Baltimore’s burgeoning container trade, the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) recently purchased a 70-acre property at the Point Breeze Business Center, right behind the Seagirt Marine Terminal. It is the MPA’s first property acquisition to accommodate cargo growth since its 1987 purchase at Fairfield Marine Terminal for autos.

Container throughput at the Port of Baltimore reached a record high in 2016 of 869,485 TEUs and increased by nearly 8 percent from January through April of 2017.

The MPA plans to utilize the additional land primarily for container storage location but also be used for autos and ro/ro cargo. It predicts the purchase will lead to the creation of about 1,650 direct jobs.

The 284-acre Seagirt Marine Terminal, Baltimore’s primary container facility, is operated under MPA’s 50-year public-private partnership with Ports America Chesapeake. MLLW berth depths range from 45 to 50 feet and are accessible via a 50-foot channel. Among its 11 ship-to-shore cranes are four super post-Panamaxers with an outreach of 22 containers wide.

"Since welcoming our first big container ship through the newly expanded Panama Canal last year, the Port of Baltimore has seen a significant jump in its container business," said Governor Larry Hogan. "With the purchase of additional land, the port will have more ability to handle the increased economic activity while generating new job opportunities for Maryland citizens."

Overhead showing Seagirt Marine Terminal and the 70-acre Point Breeze business complex newly purchased by the Maryland Port Administration to accommodate Baltimore’s growing container trade.
Photo/Maryland Port Administration