FreightWaves Classics: the port of Baltimore active for over 300 years
The port today
The Port of Baltimore is closer to the Midwest than any other port on the East Coast and is also within an overnight drive of one-third of the nation’s population. Additionally, the Port of Baltimore is one of only four ports on the east coast with both a channel and a container berth at least 50 feet deep. It can therefore accommodate some of the largest container ships in the world. About five years ago, on July 19, 2016, the Ever Lambent, a Taiwanese-flagged freight carrier, was the first oversized container ship to dock in Baltimore after passing through the newly widened Panama Canal.
In a celebration of the port’s 300th anniversary in 2006, the port was renamed in honor of Helen Delich Bentley (1923-2016), a former member of the US House of Representatives in Baltimore. Prior to his election to Congress, Bentley was a maritime journalist / editor for The Baltimore Sun newspaper.
Baltimore’s Helen Delich Bentley Harbor is located along the tidal pools of the Three Arms of the Patapsco River on the upper northwestern shore of Chesapeake Bay. It contains the largest port facilities in the country for specialized cargo (rolling / rolling ships) and passenger facilities.
Before the arrival of European settlers in the 1600s, the area that is now the port of Baltimore was inhabited by the Powhatan peoples. The Port of Baltimore was established in 1729; it was named after Lord Baltimore, who was a power in the Irish House of Lords.
In the 17th century, farmers in Maryland began to grow more tobacco, with the intention of exporting part of their crops. They started shipping tobacco to England from the port of Baltimore. In the years that followed, more goods were shipped from the natural harbor.
In addition, the deepest part of the harbor was home to many shipbuilders, who used the harbor as a yard as early as 1670. Known as Fells Point, this area would later become famous for its Baltimore clippers, as well as ships. built for the continental navy. The harbor was designated as a port of entry by the Maryland General Assembly in 1706. Due to its natural depth, Fells Point became a center of trade and shipping, and in 1773 it was incorporated into Baltimore City.
At the start of the American Revolution, the port of Baltimore was already a major seaport and a center for shipbuilding. For a brief period in 1776 and 1777, the Continental Congress met there, hoping to avoid a British attack on Philadelphia.
During the War of Independence, the port of Baltimore became the center of trade with the West Indies. In 1783, the construction of docks, the cleaning of nearby tributaries and the collection of duties from ships entering and clearing the port began. In 1785, merchants in Maryland began trading with China from the port.
In the 1790s, England and France were at war. To protect coastal shipping and cities, the new US federal government began construction of a series of Atlantic forts in 1794. To protect Baltimore harbor, Fort McHenry was built. It was the site of the Battle of North Point in the War of 1812. Of course, it was Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
The first US Navy ship built in the United States, the USS Constellation, was launched from the port of Baltimore in 1797. Additionally, the country’s last fully seaworthy warship, also known as the Constellation, was built in 1854. She has been moored in the Port of Baltimore Harbor since 1955.
The state of Maryland did not support the port until 1827. At that time, the governor began to appoint overseers of state-owned or leased wharves.
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is the oldest railroad in the United States; its first section opened in 1830. In 1845, the railroad connected to the warehouses of the Port of Baltimore at Locust Point. In addition, during the 19th century, clipper ships built in the port of Baltimore traveled from the port around the world. Supported by the development of the railway and its clipper ships, the port was a center of trade with Europe and South America in the 19th century.
Closer to the “border” than New York or Boston, Baltimore has become the expanding country’s trade gateway. With the increase in the supply and demand of imported goods in Baltimore, the production of ships increased.
During the Civil War, many residents of Maryland were Confederate sympathizers. As a result, Union troops occupied the port and the city throughout the war.
In 1830, the US Army Corps of Engineers inspected Baltimore Harbor, establishing the center lane depth at 17 feet. The Federal Rivers and Ports Act of 1852 authorizes the dredging of the Baltimore harbor for specific dimensions. A channel 22 feet deep and 150 feet wide was dredged from Fort McHenry to Swan Point. To decrease sediment build-up and reduce dredging, Brewerton Channel was created in 1869. Since then, new canals have been added, deepened and widened. The main channel is 51 feet deep and 700 feet wide. By mid-2015, the port could accommodate the world’s largest container ships.
However, construction at the port continues. Another berth allowing two oversized container ships to access the port simultaneously is under construction, and four additional Neo-Panamax cranes are expected to be commissioned this summer. A long-awaited renovation of the Howard Street tunnel will allow double stack container cars to travel to / from the port.
Although state involvement in the port dates back to 1827, a state agency to oversee its operations was not established until 1956. At that time and since, the main responsibilities of the Port Authority of Maryland were to maintain the port’s competitiveness through improvements and modernization of its facilities. and promote it around the world. The Authority was superseded in 1971 by the Maryland Port Authority, part of the Maryland Department of Transportation.
Key events of the 20th century
A huge fire destroyed much of the Baltimore Harbor business district in 1904. The fire burned for two days and consumed nearly 141 acres and over 1,500 buildings. Fortunately, few lives were lost and the structures were rebuilt.
The port of Baltimore and its surroundings developed rapidly during World War I. Steel mills and oil refineries were built. The Great Depression brought economic problems to the region, and while the economic recovery that accompanied World War II helped, the urban area was in poor condition.
The city / port economies started to recover after WWII. However, many middle-class residents moved to new suburbs around Baltimore, and the population declined for the first time since the mid-19th century. This trend continued and by the late 1960s, downtown Baltimore was in decay.
Urban renewal efforts by government, business and civic groups have helped bring the city and port back. Baltimore has revitalized its downtown area and several neighborhoods. In particular, the area known as Inner Harbor has become home to hotels, office buildings, and entertainment facilities. The decrepit docks and warehouses have been replaced by the National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Center. Then Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles, was built nearby.
The Port of Baltimore creates $ 3.3 billion in total personal income and supports 15,330 direct jobs and 139,180 jobs related to port work. In addition, the port generates nearly $ 400 million in taxes and $ 2.6 billion in business income. Each year, the port serves more than 50 maritime carriers who collectively make nearly 1,800 visits.
The port complexes include five public terminals and 12 private terminals. The port operates seven post-Panamax cranes and four super-post-Panamax cranes.
The port was the country’s leading port for handling automobiles, light trucks, agricultural and construction machinery, as well as imported sugar and gypsum, in 2019. The port ranked second in the country for coal export that same year.
The port’s public and private terminals processed 857,890 cars and light trucks in 2019, the second time they crossed the 800,000 mark and the largest portion of all U.S. ports for the ninth consecutive year.
Also in 2019, the port handled a record 43.6 million tonnes of international cargo (valued at $ 58.4 billion), up from 42.9 million in 2018. Relative to all US ports, Baltimore ranked ninth for total dollar value and eleventh for international freight tonnage. .
In fiscal year 2019, the port’s public terminals handled a record 11.1 million tonnes of general cargo, compared to 10.9 million tonnes in fiscal year 2018.
The port’s public terminals handled 657,059 containers in 2019, up 4.9% from 2018. In addition, the port handled nearly 1.1 million TEU containers, which was the second time that the port handled over a million containers in one year.
In 2015, the Port of Baltimore was ranked first in the country for container dock productivity. The port averaged 71 container movements per hour per quay. Evergreen, Maersk and MSC – three of the world’s largest container shipping companies – operate out of the Port of Baltimore.
In addition to its cargo terminals, the port has a passenger cruise terminal, which is used year-round. Cruise ships carried 224,000 passengers from the Port of Baltimore in 2019. In the cruise category in 2018, Baltimore ranked sixth in East Coast ports, eleventh in US ports and twentieth in global ports . The port’s cruise industry generates over $ 90 for the state’s economy and supports over 500 jobs.
In summary, this 315-year-old port is vibrant and active, contributing to its city, state, region and nation.