Groundbreaking at Port of Baltimore

To be completed by 2012, the new berth is a key element of the 50-year agreement between the Maryland Port Administration and Ports America Chesapeake to lease and operate the 200-acre Seagirt Marine Terminal. Under the agreement, Ports America Chesapeake took over operational control of Seagirt in January, while the state continues to own the facility.

With the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2014 it is expected that more ships that currently use west coast ports will travel to the east coast to reach customers quicker and less expensively.

“A new 50-foot berth is critical to the future of the Port of Baltimore. It will help keep the business we have and allow us to handle the new business that will come aboard the larger ships that are on the horizon. By beginning construction now, we will have this berth up and running in 2012. This is a full two years before the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed in 2014, an expansion that will literally change the face of the maritime shipping business.” said Maryland Governor O’Malley.