WWL extends Baltimore port lease through 2045

Ro-ro carrier and auto processor Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics already has more than 200 full-time employees at the Port of Baltimore, but officials said the new contract will support almost 1,000 direct jobs at the port and 1,500 indirect jobs.    Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, one of the largest operators of ocean-going car carriers and a major provider of auto logistics services, signed a 30-year lease extension with the Maryland Port Administration for its terminal at the Port of Baltimore. Under the contract, announced last week by Gov. Larry Hogan, WWL will serve the port through 2045.
   The new contract replaces an existing 20-year deal between WWL and the port that was due to expire in 2021. WWL employs more than 200 full-time workers in Baltimore, but officials said the new contract will support almost 1,000 direct jobs at the Port of Baltimore and 1,500 indirect jobs.
   Baltimore is the nation’s largest auto and vehicle port. Last year it handled a record 792,000 automobiles and 861,000 tons of ror/ro equipment, including heavy farm and construction machinery.
   “Baltimore is WWL’s largest port of business in the Americas, and a gateway to key markets in the U.S. and around the globe,” Raymond Fitzgerald, president – Atlantic at Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, said in a statement. “WWL-operated ships call Baltimore nearly 150 times each year to accommodate the needs of our customers—some of the largest and top vehicle, heavy machinery and RoRo shippers in the world.”
   Gov. Hogan attended the signing ceremony, which took place inside WWL’s new 25,000 square foot cargo treatment building where all cargo destined for Oceania is fumigated prior to loading on vessels.