The Port of Baltimore is preparing to handle the return of cargo at the end of May as container lines begin accepting loads on Asian services for delivery to terminals that have been blocked since the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge following the crash of the container ship Dali.
Longshore labor is keeping rail gantry cranes and other motorized equipment humming and state aid is being distributed to port workers who are not working due to the sudden disappearance of container, roll-on/roll-off and bulk volumes, Jonathan Daniels, CEO of the Maryland Port Authority, said in a Tuesday interview.
Container lines, which normally operate six weekly services connecting to Baltimore, have told the port authority they have begun accepting bookings for shipments to the port, Daniels said. Maersk’s recently relaunched TP20 service from Asia, for example, will be one of the first services to return to Baltimore, he said.
Maersk’s decision to keep Baltimore as a US port of call, in addition to Newark and Houston, on the Panama Canal express service “shows a commitment that while there is a temporary blip, (carriers) do realize that this is, in fact, temporary and it’s not a long-term indication that the port has some type of structural issue,” Daniels said.
Container growth momentum, driven by distribution center expansion from customers Floor and Decor and Con-Air, remains — even if it can’t be tapped at the moment, said Daniels, who took over at the port authority less than two months before the 9,962-TEU Dali collided with the Key Bridge. Floor and Decor is doubling its distribution center at the Tradepoint Atlantic terminal to 2.8 million square feet, while Con-Air will open a 2.5 million-square foot facility later this month in Hagerstown, Pennsylvania.
Details please refer to the JOC news.
Source:
Szakonyi, M. (2024, May 1). Baltimore readying for return of Asia volumes as recovery takes shape: Port CEO. Journal of Commerce. https://www.joc.com/article/baltimore-readying-return-asia-volumes-recovery-takes-shape-port-ceo_20240501.html