b'12American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(SATISFIEDcontinuedButthenumbersareis another alternative to ser- Three different from page 3) somewhatmisleadingasvicing the Northeast and the cally, the terms of the masterBostonisbyfarthelargestmid-AtlanticUnitedStates, contractwereagreeduponcontainerportintheNewGleasonsaidoftheportsAtlantic Coast ports andthenlocalnegotiationsEnglandregionandhasanexpanding reach.wouldcommenceknowingoutsizedimpactonthelocal basicallywhatthewagesshipping communityespe- s ourCingd iversiFiCAtion Three very different East Coast ports: Davisville, were going to be. This time,ciallyinthegreaterBostonAndC Arriers hiFts Rhode Island; Baltimore, Maryland and Philadel-wedidnot,Strongsaidofarea. The Port is as GleasonAs with the ports reach,phia, Pennsylvania and their common denominator. theunusualsituation.Butpointsout,aneconomicthe cargo and the ports service Strong added, To me, I dontenginewith$8.2billioninhave increased. Some of thisBy George Lauriat, AJOThaveastrongpreferenceeconomic impact and 66,000is due to the diversification of either way. I must negotiatejobs for the region.cargosourcingwhetherthatThePortofDavisville,handledthemostimported no matter what, and Ill adaptAndthereisagoodbe a China plus one or ChinathePortofBaltimoreandforestproductsand749,799 as needed.Well adapt, .reasonforcontainershipsplus two as Gleason notes.the Port of Philadelphia arecars and light trucks in 2024, onwhatneedstogetdone.tokeepcallingattheport.Andthediversificationvery different ports, but theyranking second nationally. The BSA and ILA have hadOne of the great attractionsstrategyhasaccelerated,andshare a common trait as theyPerhaps even more signif-goodrelationsforthemosttotheoceancarriersisthetradingpatternshaveshiftedhave important roles to playicantly the port made strides part.My predecessor at theproximityofBostonitselfandarecontinuingtoshift.in their localbut differenttoabrighterfuturewiththe BSA,RichardMeyer,laid the greater Boston regionAs Gleason explains, When economies.HowardStreetTunnelproj-that foundation of respect andhas a GDP of over $615 bil- Istartedherein2017,Theyalsoarefacingect. On February 1, 2025, the trust with the ILA.The BSAlion which translates into anChinaaccountedforovercommon challenges that comeprojectreachedasignificant anditsemployermembersenormousconsumer-ready50%ofConleyTerminalswith the tariffs and other dis- objective with the removal of haveworkedhardtomain- marketareaforthehighbusiness.Butduetotheruptions to the supply chainrail spikes, marking the next tain that foundation with thevaluegoodsthecontainerdiversificationandsourcingandinternationaltrade.Yetphase of work on the Howard ILA. Wecertainlyhavehadship calls deliver.andmanufacturingthattookin all three ports cases, thereStreet Tunnel Project. Sched-our battles but there is mutualAndtheimpactoftheseplacein2019,wehaveare clearly projects underwayuledforcompletionbythe respect and trust. Respect andshipcallsresonatesthrough- seentrulythetestamentofthat will boost their prospectsend of 2025, the $500 million trust are the key elements toouttheeconomy.AsGlea- diversificationandshippersfor 2025 and beyond.project aims to increase verti-resolvingissuesandgettingson noted, One of our winelooking to alternative sourcingcal clearance in the 125-year-contractssettled.Imcon- importers always says, Everyorigins,includingVietnam,B ALtiMore-AB ridge And oldtunnelandaddress22 fident,giventherelation- time you consume a bottle ofwhich has become quite largeAt unneL additionalobstructionsalong shipthatwehavewiththewine that comes through thefor us Malaysia, Thailand,The Port of Baltimore inthecorridorbetweenBal-local business agents here inport of Boston, you support 13andIndia. Today,thatfigure2024 suffered an unthinkabletimoreandPhiladelphia, Boston, that well get futurepaychecksintheCommon- is34%ofourbusinessesisdisaster with the allision andimproving connectivity to key dealsdone,whicheverwaywealth of Massachusetts. related to China. collapse of the Francis ScottMidwestmarkets.ForBalti-itislocalsdealsfirstorWhileitisntNewWiththeshiftsintradeKeybridgeandsubsequentmore, the project will connect Master first. And weve tra- York,nonethelessthePorttherehasalsobeenchangesclosureoftheport.DuringtheSeagirtMarineTerminal ditionallysettledcontractsof Boston is New Englandsinlinerscheduling.Ithinktheportsclosure,freightIntermodalContainerTrans-withourILALocals.Itshub portand the reach isitsimportantforeveryonewasdivertedtootherportsfer Facility at the Port of Bal-theBSAsresponsibilitytoexpanding.Gleasonsays,toremember,pre-pandemic,in the region like New York/ timore to the rail system with ensure that we continue thatWereallysawourradiusweonlycalledsevenportsNew Jersey, Norfolk Virginadoublestackingcapability traditionandhopefullybothexpand.Ithink,pre-pan- onaweeklybasis,inChinaand Philadelphia. But a sur- significantlyincreasingthe sidesmaintainrespectanddemic,IwouldvetoldyouandEurope. Andbecauseofprisinglyrapidre-openingcontainer handling efficiency. trust for each other.the general definition of Newourexpansion,becauseofkeyed a resurgence in trafficAnd the port also received England,butnowweveourdiversificationinglobalto the port. And by the end ofanother bit of good news when seen that expand truly to allconnectivity,withmultiple2024, the state-owned publiconFebruary4,2025,Mary-(INTEGRALcontinuedsix New England states. So,oceancarriers,wecannowand private marine terminalslandsGovernorWesMoore from page 3) ImincludingConnecticutconnectto40-portson.hadhandled45.9millionand the Maryland Department Efficiencyisoneofin that. Im including all theweeklybasis,throughouttons of cargo, making it theofTransportationunveiled thekeystokeepingthewayuptoNorthernMaine,North Europe, Mediterranean,second-besteveryearafterthenewdesignconceptfor shipscallinganicheportNewHampshire,Vermont,Turkey, Latin America, China,2023 when the port handledthe Francis Scott Key Bridge likeBoston.IfshipscanandweveseenthatexpandSoutheast Asia. Our coveragearecord52.3milliontons.rebuild.Theannouncement efficientlycall,dischargeto New York State. We havehasbeenabletoexpandImpressively,thePortofcame on the heels of the rapid andloadboxesandexitacustomersasfaraswestasgreatly,andthatsfortheBaltimorehandled848,628completionofthefinalizing port, it helps keep with vesselBuffalo,NewYorknow,direct benefit of the importerstonsofrollon/rollofffarmof the new design and critical rotation integrity.with100%truckingmarket.andexporterswhoutilizedandconstructionmachin- pre-construction assessments AndMassportsConleySo, I think thats been reallyConleyTerminalaspartofery,whichwasnumberone(THREEcontinued on terminal is very efficient withimportant to see that Bostontheir supply chain strategy. amongallU.S.ports,andpage 28)truckturntimesofunder 30-minutesandanaverage of28-cranesmovesper hour, 19-start times per day, 7-daysaweekandvirtually no congestion. With new gate facilitiesontapalongwith 15-acresofnewcontainer storage, the terminal stands to become even more efficient. Add to this the fact the main shippingchannelhasbeen deepenedto47-feetand theberthsto50-feetand theturningbasinexpanded to1,725-feetandallthe elementsareinplaceto handlethelinehaul16,000 TEU vessels.r egionALg eogrAphy : e xpAndingr eAChIncomparisontothe Northeastandmid-Atlantic competitors,thePortof Boston,whichhandlesover 250,000TEUsannuallyhas a relatively small throughput afarcryfromthe8.7 millionTEUthroughputat the Port of NY/NJ.'