As part of his aggressive effort to grow Maryland's economy, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., recently signed a six-year contract with M-real USA Corporation and Baltimore Forest Products Terminals LLP (BalTerm), that will make Maryland's Port of Baltimore the number one paper product port on the East Coast.
"This is a great day for the Port of Baltimore and the State of Maryland," said Governor Ehrlich. "This contract makes the Port of Baltimore the top port on the East Coast for shipping paper products and translates into dozens of well-paying jobs for Maryland families."
The six-year agreement, with two six-year renewal options, commits M-real to bringing an additional 300,000 tons of paper into Maryland's Port of Baltimore annually. In addition to being number one on the East Coast, the Port of Baltimore now will move up to number seven in the entire nation for the value of cargo carried through the Port.
"We considered various Atlantic Coast locations, and Baltimore is the ideal solution for us, not only because of its geographic location and history of maritime operations, but also because of this Governor and his team's resourcefulness," said Jorma Sahlstedt, President, M-real USA Corp. "Based on our experience in dealing with the Maryland Port Administration and BalTerm, we are confident that this will be a true win-win for all parties." Employing almost 16,000 worldwide, M-real is one of the leading paper companies in Europe. Through its worldwide sales network, M-real serves its customers who mostly comprise publishers, printers, paper merchants, offices and carton printers and well-known consumer product companies. M-real provides excellent wood fiber-based solutions for consumer packaging, communications and advertising end-uses. Together with its customers and partners, M-real develops solutions for demanding end-use, such as magazines, art books, brochures, direct mail, office papers, as well as packages for beauty health care products, cigarettes, branded food and consumer electronics. BalTerm is the stevedore and terminal handling for all M-real products.
"The six-year contract with M-real with two extensions cements our relationship with another international company," said F. Brooks Royster, III, Executive Director of the Maryland Port Administration.
