Port of Baltimore, USA

The Port of Baltimore lies above the Chesapeake Bay at the head of the Patapsco River Estuary in the State of Maryland in the United States. About 65 kilometers northeast of the Nation's capital, Washington DC, the Port of Baltimore is about 140 nautical miles north of the Port of Norfolk in Virginia from the head to the mouth of the Bay and about 147 kilometers southwest of the Port of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. At the northeastern end of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, the Port of Baltimore is the largest city in and the economic center of the State. The Port of Baltimore is the only city in the State that is not located within a county. In 2006, over 631 thousand people lived in the Port of Baltimore, and more than 2.6 million called the Baltimore-Towson metropolitan area home.

At one time, the Port of Baltimore was a busy industrial center based on the manufacture of steel and automobiles, shipping, and transportation. Today, the Port of Baltimore still has some industry, but its modern economy is based on financial, health, and business services for the United States' southern Mid-Atlantic region. The Port of Baltimore is home to six Fortune 1000 companies, including Black & Decker, T. Rowe Price, and McCormick and Company. It is also home to other major companies that include Alex. Brown & Sons, Thomson Prometric, Sylvan Learning, DAP, and DeBaufre Bakeries. The Port of Baltimore is also the home of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital, the future center for a biotechnology park.

Today, the Port of Baltimore is an important seaport with ship repair facilities and a richly diverse economy. Reaching the sea through the Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, it is a major shipping hub for automobiles. In addition to the seaport, the Port of Baltimore is a busy center for education, healthcare, finance, and insurance industries. Federal government and military installations contribute many jobs. Manufacturers produce automobiles, processed foods, steel, electronics, aircraft parts, and paper and plastic products.

As part of the United States' busy Northeast Corridor, the Port of Baltimore is an important stop on the passenger-commuter rail system. It shares the Baltimore-Washington International Airport with the Nation's capital. It is also served by a vast and dense network of interstate and state highways. As a center for higher education, the Port of Baltimore is home to Johns Hopkins University (founded in 1876), several colleges among the University of Maryland system.


The Maryland Port Administration (MPA) is the port authority for the Port of Baltimore. The seven-member Maryland Port Commission oversees the MPA, setting policy and procedures that help make the Port of Baltimore an efficient and competitive seaport. Six of the Commission's members are appointed by the Governor and approved by the State Senate to serve three-year terms. The Commissioners are responsible for acquiring and improving port facilities, managing dredging activities, establishing Foreign Trade Zones, and conducting studies and surveys that will improve port performance.

In 2008, the Port of Baltimore handled a total of almost nine million tons of cargo, including 5.8 million tons of containerized cargo, almost 1.2 million tons of forest products, 968 thousand tons of roll-on/roll-off cargo, 699 thousand tons of automobiles, and 309 thousand tons of steel and breakbulk cargoes. Containerized cargoes through the Port of Baltimore included a total of over 395 thousand TEUs of containerized cargoes, including 194.1 thousand TEUs of imports and 201.1 thousand TEUs of exports.
The Port of Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal specializes in handling containers. Covering 112 hectares, the terminal contains 54.2 hectares of container storage space. The terminal has four berths, three for vessels and one for barges. Berths 1 through 3 are a total 953 meters long with alongside depth of 13.7 meters. Berth 4, the Barge Berth, is 213.4 meters long with alongside depth of 9.8 meters. The terminal includes 112 reefer outlets and has direct rail connections serviced by CSX Transportation.


The Dundalk Marine Terminal in the Port of Baltimore handles containers, automobiles, breakbulk, roll-on/roll-off cargoes and forest products. The 225-hectare terminal has 13 berths with berthing space for 12 vessels. Berths 1 through 4 total 772.7 meters in length alongside depth of 10.4 meters. Berths 5 and 6 are 385.6 meters long with alongside depth of 13.7 meters. With alongside depth of 12.8 meters, Berths 7 through 10 total 858.9 meters and Berths 11 through 13 total 876 meters. The roll-on/roll-off platforms are located at the Port of Baltimore's Berth 13 and between Berths 8 and 9. This Port of Baltimore terminal contains 28 reefer outlets, a total of 86.6 thousand square meters of shed space, and an almost two thousand square meter fumigation center. The terminal is served by direct rail access to all sheds and has direct rail to/from ship capacity. It also has two rail storage yards with ample cargo-handling equipment, including automobile loading/unloading operations.

The Fairfield and Masonville Marine Terminals in the Port of Baltimore are premier automobile terminals. Fairfield Terminal is located just 5.6 kilometers from the US's East Coast Interstate-95. Specializing in the import, export, and processing of automobiles, the terminal covers over 42 hectares and has one berth, the Port of Baltimore's Pier 4, that is 253.6 meters long with alongside depth of 14.9 meters. The Masonville Terminal covers almost 25 hectares and contains two berths at Pier 4, which is 253.6 meters long with alongside depth of 14.9 meters. The Masonville Marine Terminal is leased to ATC Logistics.

The Port of Baltimore's South Locust Point Marine Terminal is a multi-use facility specializing in breakbulk and roll-on/roll-off cargoes of forest products. The 32-hectare terminal and three berths totaling 626.7 meters in length with alongside depth of 11 meters. The terminal has a total of 77.6 thousand square meters of sheds and has direct rail connections to the rear of the sheds by CSX Transportation.

The North Locust Point Marine Terminal in the Port of Baltimore is a multi-use facility specializing in breakbulk, liquid bulk, roll-on/roll-off, and containerized cargoes. Covering a total of over 36 hectares, the terminal includes 7.9 hectares of outside storage and almost 16.1 thousand square meters of sheds. The terminal has nine berths. Handling general cargo, Pier 3 East is 376.4 meters long alongside depth of 10.1 meters. Pier 3 West is 368.2 meters long with alongside depth of 10.4 meters. With alongside depth of 10.4 meters, Pier 4/5 East and West is each 365.8 meters long. Handling bulk cargo, Pier 10 East is 193.5 meters long alongside depth of 10.4 meters. This Port of Baltimore terminal has eight reefer outlets and direct rail connection to the terminal and all berths by CSX Transportation.

The Port of Baltimore's Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) is used to transfer containers to and from rail and ship. The terminal is leased by CSX Transportation Intermodal. Almost 27 hectares of the 34-hectare terminal has been developed. The remaining seven hectares are currently the site of warehouses. This Port of Baltimore terminal is equipped with over 1.1 kilometers of rail tracks, including four loading/unloading tracks, three storage tracks, and one run-around track.

The Port of Baltimore also contains several private terminals. These include APM Terminals Baltimore, Baltimore Metal and Commodities Terminal Inc., CNX Marine Terminals Inc., MAT Mid-Atlantic Terminal, Rukert Terminals Corporation, Sparrows Pint, The Terminal Corporation, and Westway Terminal Company Inc.