Port of Baltimore Sees Record First Quarter

The public marine terminals of the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore got off to a fast start in 2017 by posting a record first quarter with 2,560,065 tons of general cargo. This record surpassed the previous record for the best January through March performance of 2,443,062 tons set last year. General cargo includes cars, containers, farm and construction machinery, forest products, and breakbulk.

“The Port of Baltimore continues to set new records and serve as one of our state’s leading economic engines,” said Governor Larry Hogan.  “The arrival of supersized container ships, bringing more cargo and more economic activity to our state, further demonstrates that Maryland is open for business.”

The five percent improvement over 2016 is due primarily to cars and containers. Cars were up six percent over the first quarter of 2016. The Port of Baltimore has handled more cars than any other U.S. port for six consecutive years. Containers were up eight percent. The Port has seen larger than normal container growth in the past year as larger ships are bringing more cargo to Maryland. The Port of Baltimore is one of only four U.S. East Coast ports with the necessary infrastructure to handle some of the largest container ships in the world. Last year, a record 538,567 containers crossed the Port’s public piers.


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