Port of Baltimore adds berth at auto terminal

The new structure gives port ability to handle larger, heavier shipments.    The Maryland Port Administration has opened a new auto berth at the Port of Baltimore’s Masonville/Fairfield Marine Terminal. The new berth replaces on old berth that has been in operation for more than 70 years.
   Baltimore is the nation’s leading auto port, handling more than 750,000 cars and light trucks last year.
   The new berth is 300 feet longer and 20 feet wider than the old berth and supports 1,000 pounds per square inch compared to only 100 pounds before; this will allow the facility to handle more automobiles as well as farm equipment, trucks and other rolling stock. It also has rail tracks for auto trains to the Midwest.
  The Mason and Fairfield terminals have always shared one berth. The old berth remains in use, but port officials have long-term plans to replace it with a more modern structure, according to MPA spokesman Richard Scher.
   The MPA spent $22 million to build the new Fairfield berth, he said.
   “We have a competitive position as a top port for autos, and we want to stay there,” Scher said.
   The figures for vehicle throughput include private marine terminals that are not owned by the state.
   Last year, the MPA was awarded $10 million in TIGER grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to expand Fairfield’s cargo foothold another 7.6 acres by filling in an obsolete slip with dredge material. When completed, the project will enable the terminal to handle an extra 20,000 cars per year, according to the DOT announcement.