WWL, Baltimore Port Ink 30-Year Deal
Administration to serve the Port of Baltimore for another 30 years to 2045. The contract is expected to generate 2,500 jobs over the next three decades.
Baltimore is the leading auto and RoRo port in North America, and WWL ranks as its top RoRo customer, with more than 200 people employed at its terminal. The new contract, which replaced a 20-year deal set to expire in 2021, supports nearly 1,000 jobs at the port and another 1,500 jobs created by WWL’s business in the state.
Governor Larry Hogan, who was among the 150 guests attending the event on December 3, spoke of the importance of WWL’s commitment to the port as well as the larger community.
“This new contract, tying WWL’s success to that of the Port of Baltimore for the next three decades, will support nearly 1,000 jobs here in Maryland and is a ringing endorsement of the strength and importance of this partnership,” he said in a press statement.
Ray Fitzgerald, president for Atlantic at WWL, who was also present at the event, said the agreement sends a reassuring message to the many customers the company serves at the port.
“The services provided at our Baltimore logistics hub are essential to the success and supply chain efficiency of the many multinational corporations that leverage Baltimore as a gateway to and from markets all over the world,” he said.
The event took place inside WWL’s new cargo treatment facility, where all cargo destined for Oceania is handled and fumigated prior to transport. The brand new 25,000-square-foot building served as an example of the commitment and service capabilities that WWL brings to the port.
WWL has played an important role in developing the Port of Baltimore into the number one auto and RoRo destination in the United States. In 2014, the port handled international cargo totalling 29.5 million tonnes valued at nearly 53 billion US dollars. This included more than 861,000 tonnes of RoRo equipment and 792,000 cars. The port has generated about 13,650 jobs, and a further 127,600 jobs in Maryland are linked to port activities.