NEWS
By Michael Dresser | January 29, 2009
Business in the port of Baltimore held up reasonably well in 2008 despite declines in certain sectors of cargo during the second half of the year, according to the Maryland Port Administration. Even as the economy sank into an ever-deepening recession, the port posted gains of 9 percent in pulp products and 4 percent in roll-on/roll-off, or ro/ro, cargo from July to November, compared with the corresponding period of 2007. Ro/ro cargo largely is made up of construction and farm equipment.
NEWS
By Matthew Hay Brown and Laura McCandlish | May 17, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The federal government will more than triple its grant funding this year for port security in Maryland, providing money for a state-of-the-art video surveillance system and technology to help monitor the thousands of trucks that enter the port of Baltimore each day. Additional money to protect regional transit is also getting a big boost in the annual grants announced yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security. Nationwide, federal spending on what the department calls infrastructure protection is increasing 29 percent to $884 million.
NEWS
By Michael Dresser | October 20, 2006
Two General Assembly leaders are seeking a review of the state of security at the port of Baltimore, questioning whether state officials have made improvements since The Sun reported a series of lapses in July last year. In a letter this week, Sen. Thomas M. Middleton and Del. Maggie McIntosh ask chief legislative auditor Bruce A. Myers to conduct a performance audit of port security as well as a financial audit of Maryland's use of state and federal homeland security funds. Middleton, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is a Charles County Democrat.
NEWS
July 22, 2005
On Air TV and Radio Outdoors Maryland Tomorrow, 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. MPT "Island Reborn." Erosion has caused huge problems for the port of Baltimore as it tries to keep its busy shipping channels open. Each year, the Maryland Port Administration dredges several million cubic yards of mud from the Chesapeake Bay. Until recently, there was controversy about what to do with this dredged material. Now the port believes it has found the answer. It's bringing back to life Poplar Island, which shrank from 1,200 acres in 1847 to five tiny islands in the early 1990s.
NEWS
By Michael Dresser | July 12, 2005
The chairman of a key legislative panel said yesterday that he will conduct a hearing into security shortcomings at the port of Baltimore, while a top Maryland transportation official said the state would tighten some procedures at the terminals it owns. Del. Peter Franchot, who chairs a House subcommittee that oversees transportation spending, said he was prompted to schedule the Sept. 13 hearing after a report in The Sun on Sunday outlined a number of security lapses at the port's state-owned marine terminals.
NEWS
By Meredith Cohn and Andrew A. Green | May 3, 2005
A former top manager of Miami's port is expected to be named today as the chief executive of the port of Baltimore, according to government and industry sources. The appointment of F. Brooks Royster III, who until recently was chief executive of the company that runs the largest terminal operation at the Port of Miami-Dade, is scheduled to be announced this afternoon, the sources said. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is expected to introduce Royster at a news conference at the Dundalk Marine Terminal.
NEWS
By Meredith Cohn | September 20, 2003
Hurricane Isabel deluged the port of Baltimore yesterday, but the state's center of marine commerce still had more luck than water. Billions of dollars in cargo and equipment mostly escaped harm from floodwaters that lapped over the piers, more than eight feet above normal. BalTerm, which handles most of the port's paper and forest products, reported that several rolls of paper were ruined, but the rising waters barely missed tons more. The firm had more than 100,000 tons of inventory, including 60,000 tons of paper.
NEWS
By Paul Adams | June 13, 2003
Baltimore will get $4.3 million in federal financing to help protect the city's state-owned marine terminals from terrorists as part of a roughly $300 million package of port security initiatives announced yesterday by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. While the money is welcome relief in the midst of a state budget crisis, lawmakers and some trade officials say the Bush administration is still not providing enough money to pay for critical security upgrades at the nation's 350 seaports.
NEWS
By Paul Adams | January 20, 2002
New contracts that will bring additional automobiles, forest products and other niche cargo to the port of Baltimore will help the city's waterfront weather a world-wide recession that has slashed East Coast trade in recent months, business leaders said. However, most segments of the port's business will feel some pain in the months ahead as demand for consumer goods remains weak. Ships are still arriving in near-typical numbers, but state pilots and other sources say there is less cargo aboard when they reach Baltimore, resulting in less demand for dock workers.
NEWS
By Paul Adams | March 7, 2001
A major shipping company has agreed to a 10-year contract with the state that will more than double the amount of cargo it brings to Maryland and help the port of Baltimore solidify its tenuous position in the lucrative containerized cargo trade. The deal with Mediterranean Shipping Co. is the latest in a series of wins for Baltimore as it strives to rebuild its reputation as a major East Coast port by aggressively pursuing forest products, automobiles, tractors and other niche cargo. The additional container business will bring the port a minimum of $75 million in revenue over the 10-year deal and significantly boost union man-hours.