First big ship arrives at Port of Baltimore from the newly expanded Panama Canal

In Port News 20/07/2016

The Port of Baltimore welcomed a huge container ship the size of four football fields to its docks Tuesday after it completed its journey through the newly expanded Panama Canal.

Baltimore is one of three U.S. ports on the East Coast that has been fitted with larger equipment — so-called super cranes— to receive goods from the larger ships that will utilize the expanded canal lanes that opened in June 26.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn said the port is entering a prosperous new era because of its ability to bring in super-sized tanker ships traveling through the canal. Already, he said, various shipping alliances and ship companies that have not come into the port in over 20 years have expressed interest in returning.

“You have to reach critical mass and then things can happen,” Rahn said. “We have reached critical mass.”

The Evergreen Ever Lambent arrived at the Port of Baltimore at 5 a.m. after traveling through the newly expanded Panama Canal. The Panama Canal recently completed a $5 billion project making it 180-feet wider and 60-feet deeper.

The Evergreen Ever Lambert was huge — 1,200-feet long. It came in carrying about 8,400 20-foot-long containers.

Though Rahn could not quantify the impact the canal expansion will have on the port, he said he was told the port could bring in at least 200,000 more 20-foot-long containers a year. By bringing in more cargo, the port could potentially also create more jobs.

According to the Maryland Port Administration, last year, the port saw more than 32 million tons of international cargo cross its docks estimated to be worth more than $51 billion. It provides about 13,650 direct jobs, but is linked to 127,000 jobs across Maryland and is responsible for nearly $3 billion in personal wages and salary.

The Port of Baltimore averages 75 container moves per hour per berth, the fastest of any port in the nation, Rahn said. Despite the success, he said officials still need to figure out how to leverage $450 million to expand the Howard Street Tunnel. The tunnel has become a bottleneck, Rahn said, preventing the transportation of double-stacked containers.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do it, I just know we need to do,” Rahn said. “We will put a lot of effort into trying to find a solution…We will continue to make this a very high priority for the port.”

Source: Baltimore Business Journal