“With these new records, the Port of Baltimore has further strengthened its reputation as one of the top auto handling ports in the nation,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Autos are a good economic indicator. When they are moving at record pace through the Port, that means consumer demand is high. More cars coming over Baltimore’s docks also means more work for the thousands of men and women in our Port labor force.”
Earlier this year it was announced that the Port of Baltimore saw a record first six half of 2011 for cars, handling more international auto tonnage than any other U.S. port. More than 538,000 tons of autos made their way over Baltimore’s public and private marine terminals during the first six months of 2011, a 15 percent increase over the same time period of 2010. Baltimore ranked second in the nation in 2010 for autos behind New York. Approximately 1,150 direct jobs at the Port are generated by the Port’s auto business.
The Port of Baltimore ranks 11th nationally for the total dollar value of cargo and 13th for the amount of cargo tonnage handled out of 44 port districts in the U.S.
Out of about 360 U.S. ports, the Port of Baltimore ranks as the top port in the nation for handling farm and construction machinery, trucks, imported forest products, imported gypsum, imported sugar, imported salt, and imported iron ore. It ranks second in the U.S. for exported coal and imported aluminum.
