PORT OF BALTIMORE ON TARGET FOR ANOTHER RECORD YEAR November 20, 2012Port Ahead of Last Year in Several Cargo Categories Through
Third Quarter of 2012
(BALTIMORE, MD) --- Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that business remained strong for the Port of Baltimore through the third quarter of 2012, as the port headed into the fourth quarter ahead of last year’s pace in several cargo categories. Through the first nine months of 2012, the port had handled 7.21 million tons of general cargo at the public marine terminals, a 10 percent jump from 2011. General cargo includes containerized goods, autos, forest products, and roll on/roll off (farm and construction) equipment. Overall the port saw nearly 30 million tons of foreign commerce (general cargo plus bulk cargo ) cross its public and private terminal docks, a six percent increase from the first nine months of 2011.
“These strong third quarter results further prove that the Port of Baltimore is on the right track as we recover from the challenging economic period of the past few years,” said Governor O’Malley. “The port’s continued success in its cargo and cruise businesses combined with the new 50-foot deep container berth and supersized cranes mean a very bright future for the thousands of direct jobs generated by the Port of Baltimore.” Through September, specific cargos at the port including containers, roll on/roll off, and autos are also ahead of last year’s pace. The record for most general cargo tonnage at the port’s public terminals is 8.96 million tons set in 2008. Last year’s total of 8.89 million tons is the second highest. The Port’s public and private marine terminals saw 38 million tons of cargo in 2011, a 15 percent increase from 2010 which marked the greatest increase of growth by any major U.S. port. The total dollar value amount of that cargo was more than $51 billion, the Port’s highest dollar value ever. Through the third quarter of 2012, the port’s total dollar value of cargo was up 10 percent over last year’s record total.
The Port of Baltimore is ranked as the top port among 360 U.S. ports for handling farm and construction machinery, autos and light trucks, imported forest products, imported sugar, imported iron ore and imported gypsum. Baltimore ranks second in the U.S. for exported coal, imported salt, and imported aluminum. Overall Baltimore is ranked 11th for the total dollar value of cargo and 12th for cargo tonnage. Business at the Port of Baltimore generates about 14,630 direct jobs, while about 108,000 jobs in Maryland are linked to port activities. The Port is responsible for $3 billion in personal wages and salary and more than $300 million in state and local taxes. CONTACT:
Richard Scher
MPA
(410) 385-4483 |
