JUNE 2026 
American Journal of Transportation
American Journal of Transportation  
19
Next Stop: 
Everywhere
With the Howard Street Tunnel 
open and double stack rail 
online, the Port of Baltimore is 
expanding what is possible 
by moving 
more cargo, 
more efficiently, 
to more destinations. 
Ports America Chesapeake brings 
the capacity, infrastructure, and 
expertise to make it happen.
portsamerica.com
MARYLAND PORTS 2026
MARYLAND PORTS 2026
Port of Baltimore: 
In depth planning 
A conversation with Jonathan Daniels, Exec-
utive Director of the Maryland Port Author-
ity (MPA) on planning for the future.
The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore handled approximately 50 million tons of cargo in 2025.
By George Lauriat, AJOT
Strategic Planning. 
The Maryland Port Author-
ity (MPA) held its kickoff meet-
ing for developing the new 
strategic plan in February. And 
as with any strategic plan, the 
first step is taking inventory of 
the Port’s assets. 
Of course, the process of 
developing a new strategic plan 
is beginning just two years after 
the collapse of the Francis Scott 
Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, 
following the allision with con-
tainership Dali. And while the 
appropriations for the rebuild-
ing of the bridge have been 
approved, distribution of the 
funding is less clear. Nonethe-
less, the Port of Baltimore with 
its wide variety of cargo han-
dling facilities has a great many 
assets to incorporate in planning 
for the future of the port. 
When asked by the AJOT 
about how the strategic plan 
was coming together, Jonathan 
Daniels, Executive Director 
for the Maryland Port Admin-
istration (MPA), said of the 
initiative, “Finally, to get our-
selves in a position where we 
could move forward on what 
is a very... lengthy and a very 
intense process…. Fortunately, 
as a port, we are so diverse in 
both what’s across our public 
docks, but also through the pri-
vate terminals. So, that gives us 
a wide breadth of opportunities 
to be able to evaluate.”
Strategic port plans come 
in a wide variety of flavors, as 
each port has different physical 
configurations, different goals 
and each individual state and 
city handle the administration of 
their ports differently.
Still there is a common 
denominator. Cargo ports only 
exist as long as ships continue 
to call, and keeping commercial 
cargo ships calling is the overar-
ching mission statement.
Daniels said in the case of 
the Port of Baltimore, “This is 
truly going to be a commercially 
based, strategic plan that allows 
us the opportunity first to take 
advantage of what our existing 
strengths are. And when you take 
a look at our growing container 
operation, which we set a record 
[with] in 2025 during a recovery 
period, to our continued strength 
as being number one in the US 
on Roll-on/Roll off tonnage…. 
We certainly will not abandon 
what has been our strengths. But 
we’ll look at building upon that 
experience, building upon those 
cargoes, and also looking at new 
opportunities. Whether that is 
the ability to generate new and 
more diverse cargo opportu-
nities but also taking a look at 
trade lanes and regions of the 
world where we may be have 
not been as strong.”
For Daniels, seeing the 
Port’s position through a com-
mercial lens, trade lanes and 
regions where the port hasn’t 
been 
as 
successful, 
rather 
than being a negative, poten-
tially represent new business 
in the future. “By focusing on 
the commercial aspects…and 
looking and then coming in 
and developing the marketing 
components and the marketing 
plan to be able to evaluate and 
be able to put in practice those 
new commercial opportunities. 
That [also] gives us the oppor-
tunity…to take a look at our 
infrastructure, and work with 
the State Department of Trans-
portation and our legislative 
body to be able to make the 
proper investments to be able to 
grow the port long-term.
(PLANNING – continued on 
page 27)

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.