Port of Baltimore: Mitigating Environmental Damage

Reducing Environmnetal Hazards at The Port of Baltimore:

In the fall of 2006, two specific requirements went into effect to reduce hazardous pollutants and air emission. The first, despite increased truck traffic to handle cargo volume increases, MPA has been able to maintain terminal velocity (the speed at which trucks and other forms of goods movement enter and exit port terminals) at approximately 55 minutes. This allows for a “double move”, drop-off and pick-up of goods, and reduces the time trucks spend idling and moving about the terminal. Secondly, in an effort to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, the Maryland required the MPA and other state agencies to begin using a blend of bio-diesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel for all state-owned diesel vehicles and equipment.

(Maryland Port Administration, http://www.mpa.state.md.us/environment/air.htm, August 6, 2007)

Stimulus Funds Helping citizens of Baltimore breathe easier:

In August of 2009, The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced the Port of Baltimore received $3.5 million in Recovery Act funding to help clean the air in and around the Port. The Port will use the funds for clean diesel technology in essential equipment used for harbor operations, creating jobs and reducing asthma rates and other respiratory illnesses.

Using clean-diesel technology to meet higher air-quality standards, the port will cut diesel emissions up to 90 percent, drastically reducing fine particulate, and other pollutants that contribute to ozone smog. (Maryland Port Administration, http://www.mpa.state.md.us/environment/air.htm, August 6, 2007)

Port of Baltimore: Roll On/Roll Off cargo and the ICTF

In July 2007, the MPA installed a new ramp at the South Locust Point terminal to allow paper products to be rolled on and off ships at a faster rate, thereby doubling productivity and allowing the port to push tonnage capacity over one million. Baltimore is seen by the paper industry as setting the new standard for the movement of paper products due to the efficiency the ramp allows for within the process. In 2006, the MPA opened its new, dedicated 60,000-foot Cruise Ship terminal at the South Locust Point terminal. The structure used for the passenger terminal was formerly a paper-shed building situated on 14 acres of land with easy access from either side of I-95. (“Wheels in Motion; TOTE’s Tacoma terminal…ro-ro operations.” Journal of Commerce 7/16/2007)

The port has a state-of-the-art Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF). The rail facility, part of the $160 million Seagirt Marine Terminal, is designed for high-speed transfer of intermodal cargo between CSX Transportation rail lines and the port’s pier facilities at Dundalk Marine Terminal and Seagirt. The 70-acre ICTF has the capability of direct ship-to-rail transfer of cargo. With four loading tracks of up to 3,000 feet in length, it has the capacity to handle 200,000 containers per day. The rail yard eliminated the seven-mile haul between the old ramp in Baltimore and the ICTF in Dundalk. The Seagirt ICTF offers double-stack capability, as well as providing shippers and steamship lines with reverse landbridge opportunities to the rest of the country. (“Wheels in Motion; TOTE’s Tacoma terminal…ro-ro operations.” Journal of Commerce 7/16/2007)

The Port of Baltimore: Impact on the Baltimore Metro Region

The Port of Baltimore is one of the country’s largest and most heavily trafficked ports. The 300-year-old port sits on the Patapsco River in the heart of Maryland with over 19,000 jobs directly generated from port activities. With six public terminals and 30 private terminals 150 miles inland, it is the closest East Coast port to the Midwest. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population can be reached by truck overnight.
Since 2005 the Port of Baltimore exceeded records for total value of cargo moved through both the public and private terminals. In 2005 the port’s record was valued at $35.9 billion only to be exceeded in 2006 to $36.7 billion. In June 2007, the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) announced the amount of foreign general cargo handled at the Port of Baltimore exceeded nine million tons for the first time ever and the total value of 2006 cargo moving through all port terminals was $36.7 billion. The goal of the port is to have more container traffic. The port handled 493,135 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2001, which jumped to 627,947 TEUs in 2006.

Attached you will find an article i located on Lexis Nexis regarding record setting cargo volumes at the Port of Baltimore. While many do not realize the tremendous impact this has on our region, every citizen of Baltimore benefits daily from this economic growth.

Also, there are some aerial images of the port for your enjoyment and reference.