Port of Baltimore sets record in January

The mid-Atlantic port saw general cargo volumes increase 14 percent year-over-year in January, while container tons surged 20 percent since January 2016.    The Port of Baltimore started 2017 with a record month, the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) said Monday.
   The mid-Atlantic port handled 923,030 tons of general cargo, a 14 percent increase from January 2016, and 712,386 container tons, a 20 percent year-over-year jump.
   In addition to general cargo and container records, last month’s numbers for rolled paper and cars increased 26 percent and 16 percent, respectively, since January 2016.
   “This record-breaking growth is a direct result of Maryland’s strategic investments in the Port of Baltimore,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said. “As one of only four East Coast ports that have the infrastructure to handle the new mega-ships, the Port continues to demonstrate that Maryland is indeed Open for Business.”
   In light of the port’s rapidly growing container business with mega-ships from the expanded Panama Canal, the Hogan administration applied for a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) FASTLANE grant in December 2016. The grant will be used to double-stack Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel, and the application is currently under review by the USDOT.