CMA-CGM to Call Port of Baltimore

International container shipping company CMA-CGM of France announced that it will begin service within the next couple of weeks to the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.

 

The Port of Baltimore has been added to CMA-CGM’s Liberty Solo service which also includes visits to ports in Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Le Havre, New York, and Charleston.

 

“This is great news for the Port of Baltimore and for the thousands of men and women who work here,” said Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Executive Director James J. White. “CMA-CGM is one of the largest container shipping companies in the world. It is a tribute to the abilities and reputation of the Port of Baltimore as one of the most efficient container ports on the East Coast that a container company of this magnitude decides to bring their business to Maryland.”

 

The Port of Baltimore averages nearly 40 container moves per hour per crane, one of the fastest and most efficient rates among East Coast ports. The port’s container facility, the Seagirt Marine Terminal, includes 11 cranes, four of which are super Post-Panamax capable of reaching 22 containers across a ship. Along with a 50-foot-deep channel and 50-foot-deep container berth, the Port of Baltimore is in position to accommodate some of the largest ships in the world today.

 

Combining both the public and private marine terminals, the Port of Baltimore had a record year in 2014 and saw 29.5 million tons of international cargo valued at nearly $53 billion. Baltimore is ranked as the top port among all U.S. ports for handling autos and light trucks, farm and construction machinery, imported forest products, imported sugar, and imported aluminum. Overall Baltimore is ranked ninth for the total dollar value of cargo and 13th for cargo tonnage for all U.S. ports.

 

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.