The port of Baltimore had a banner year for the overall cargo volume handled at its public terminals in 2014, in part thanks to record numbers of automobiles and cargo containers moving across its docks.
The growth was restrained to some extent by local labor unrest, but also buoyed by similar unrest on the West Coast, said James White, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration.
The overall cargo record of 9.7 million tons outpaced the 9.6 million tons handled in both 2013 and 2012, according to the Maryland Port Administration.
Including private terminals, the port of Baltimore experienced a slight decline in tonnage handled, with 29.5 million tons of international cargo last year compared to 30.3 million in 2013, according to the MPA. The value of the total public and private cargo handled in Baltimore dipped too, from about $52.6 billion in 2013 to about $52.5 billion last year.
White said the overall decline related to coal exports, which were artificially high in recent years because of coal mine flooding in Australia and a subsequent increase in demand for U.S. coal from China and Korea. That demand returned to normal levels last year as Australia recovered and Indonesia opened new mines, White said.
Nationally, Baltimore ranks ninth for cargo value and 13th for cargo tonnage.
While the numbers overall were strong, White said they "could have been much better" had it not been for the festering dispute between Baltimore's largest dockworkers union and its shippers.
The labor dispute has cast a shadow over the port's operations since at least October 2013, when members of the International Longshoremen's Association Local 333 went on strike for three days and concerned shippers began diverting cargo.
National union leaders placed the local under trusteeship in November and are leading the negotiations on the local's behalf, and no labor disruptions have occurred since the strike. Still, concerns about labor stability have lingered with the uncertainty of the contract, White said.
Local 333 members voted to reject the latest proposal just last week.
Still, for the fourth year in a row, Baltimore — and Local 333 members — handled more automobiles than any other port in the country.
The port handled a record 792,795 automobiles last year, compared with 752,100 in 2013 and 652,000 in 2012. Part of the increase was on the export side, with Baltimore's automobile exports jumping 9 percent year over year, from 237,397 in 2013 to 259,312 last year.
In one example of the port's strengthening position in automobile shipping, officials in September announced a new five-year deal with BMW, including a new processing center that could continue to increase vehicle volume in coming years.
Last year was also the first full year under a new deal the port struck with Mazda in 2013, and White said he had hoped to break 800,000 vehicles in 2014.
Container cargo also reached a benchmark in 2014, with the port handling a record 484,410 containers, a 10 percent increase from the 439,802 containers handled in 2013.
Part of that growth can be attributed to the ongoing labor dispute between West Coast longshoremen and shippers, which led to products usually carried by rail to the East Coast from West Coast ports to be delivered directly by ship, White said.
Other East Coast ports have had even larger growth from diverted West Coast cargo, especially cargo that is destined for the middle of the country. However, Baltimore's ability to attract such cargo is limited by its inability to double-stack containers on westbound trains directly out of its terminals.
State officials touted the numbers as a sign of the port's importance as an economic engine with growth potential in the state.
"The port of Baltimore is one of Maryland's most important economic assets and it will play an integral role in our efforts to help grow the state's economy," said Gov. Larry Hogan in a statement. "My administration is focused on building Maryland's reputation as a place that's Open for Business and the port can play a pivotal role in spreading this message while also delivering real economic growth."
The port generates about 14,630 direct jobs and indirectly supports tens of thousands more, and is responsible for $3 billion in personal wages and salaries and more than $300 million in state and local taxes, according to the MPA.
In 2009, the MPA signed a 50-year, $1.3 billion public-private partnership with Ports America Chesapeake that allowed it to invest more heavily in infrastructure.
One purchase, of next-generation cranes capable of handling the largest international ships, has broadened the scope of what Baltimore — with its 50-foot channel — can handle and attract in the way of cargo and clients.
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