WASHINGTON: The Port of Baltimore set a first-quarter record in 2017, handling more than 2.56 million tons of general cargo at its public marine terminals in the first three months of the year — a five percent increase from the same quarter last year, officials said.
Increases in the number of cars and containers drove the overall bump in traffic at the port, officials said. Cars were up six percent year-over-year, and containers were up eight percent, which officials attributed to the massive container ships that can now reach Baltimore through the expanded Panama Canal. A record 538,567 containers crossed the public piers last year. The port has led the country in shipping cars for the past six years, and it has been named the most efficient U.S. port for the third year running. It averaged 71 container moves per hour per berth, faster than any other major American port. The port generates about 13,650 direct jobs, and is indirectly linked to 127,000 jobs across the state, officials said.
