The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) will receive a $6.6 million grant by the US Department of Transportation as a contribution to a project that will deepen a second container berth to 50 feet at the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal. This is expected to allow the Port to handle two supersized container ships simultaneously.
The state of Maryland will contribute $7.8 million and Ports America Chesapeake, which operates the Seagirt Marine Terminal for the MDOT MPA, will further invest $18.4 million for a total project cost of $32.7 million.
According to the announcement, a second 50-foot deep draft container berth will allow the Port of Baltimore to accommodate two large vessels, simultaneously.
Our administration is committed to expanding Maryland’s transportation network, and these projects will support thousands of new jobs and spur economic growth and development in every corner of our state.
Governor Larry Hogan stated in the announcement.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
Under a public-private partnership agreement signed in 2010 with Ports America Chesapeake, a 50-foot deep draft berth was constructed at the Seagirt Marine Terminal.
The Port of Baltimore is one of a few U.S. East Coast ports with the necessary 50-foot deep channel to accommodate these massive container vessels. Earlier in 2018, the Port of Baltimore welcomed the largest container ship to ever visit Maryland when the 11,000- TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) container ship ‘Gunde Maersk’ arrived at Seagirt.
Baltimore’s port has considerably increased its container traffic, over the last years. A record of 596,972 containers made their way across the Port’s terminal, last year, and through October 2018, containers are 5% over last year’s record pace.
