Baltimore sets tonnage record in first half

   The Port of Baltimore set a new record for cargo tonnage in the first half of the year, handling 4.8 million tons of general cargo, such as containers, autos, forest products and roll on/roll off equipment.
   The port’s previous best was 4.7 million tons in the first half of 2008. The new record is also 10 percent more than the 4 tons Baltimore’s public terminals moved across the docks during the first six months of 2011, the Maryland Port Administration said last week.
   For full year 2011, marine terminals handled 8.89 million tons of general cargo, a 9 percent increase from 2010 and just shy of the all-time record of 8.96 tons set in 2008. Including bulk cargo, the port achieved a 15 percent increase in tonnage, to 37.8 million tons, worth $51.4 billion. Last year, coal processing at the port grew 38.5 percent, to 19.2 million tons. The port could find it difficult to equal last year’s tonnage amount in 2012 due to nationwide decreases in coal production and coal exports.
   During the first half of this year, the port had:

• a 36 percent increase in roll on/roll off vehicles and equipment (measured in tons);
• a 27 percent increase in the number of automobiles (units); and
• a 7 percent increase in containers (measured in tons)

   Baltimore is one of the most diversified ports in the nation in terms of its commodity mix, which includes sugar, iron ore, gypsum, salt, and aluminum.