MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

WATERWAYS

PORT OF BALTIMORE

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The Port of Baltimore is the deepest harbor in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay.

A view of Baltimore, Maryland, from the water, November 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

World Trade Center, 401 East Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, February 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Closer to the Midwest than any other East Coast port, the Port of Baltimore is within an overnight drive of one-third of the nation's population on I-95 and I-70.

1906 Steam Tugboat Baltimore, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, September 2001. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

As the largest cargo facility at the Port of Baltimore, Dundalk Marine Terminal offers 13 cargo berths and 4 cranes across its 570 acres. Dundalk is the busiest terminal for roll-on/roll-off cargo (ro/ro), automobiles, and general cargo, including breakbulk. Due to the efficiency of operations at Dundalk, the Port annually is ranked the top U.S. port for roll-on/roll-off cargo.

The Fairfield Marine Automobile Terminal, encompassing 160 acres, handles automobiles and light trucks and some roll-on/roll-off cargo at its two berths.

Between 1868 and 1914, the North Locust Point Marine Terminal was the main point of entry for over 1.2 million European immigrants to Baltimore. Today, following extensive redevelopment, the 90-acre Terminal at its five piers handles forest products, as well as some containers, for the Port of Baltimore. Moving cargo between ships and rail cars are 3 cranes, including one for containers.

Seven post-Panamax & four super-post-Panamax cranes, Seagirt Marine Terminal, Port of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

In 2025, the public terminals received a top security rating by the U.S. Coast Guard for the 16th straight year.

In 2025, the Port of Baltimore handled nearly 50 million tons of international cargo with a value of $65.6 billion. Nationally, Baltimore ranks 10th for tonnage of international cargo and 11th for total dollar value.

Tugboats, Fell's Point, Baltimore, Maryland, January 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Salt pile, Rukert Terminals, 2021 South Clinton St., Baltimore, Maryland, August 2016. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

The world's largest sailing cargo ship, the Neoliner Origin, initiated a regular service to Baltimore following its first Atlantic crossing in the fall of 2025. The ship is able to transport roll-on/roll-off cargo as well as containers.

Höegh Autoliners, Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2019. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Shipping containers, Port of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, July 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

In June 2023, the Port of Baltimore managed 6,383 container moves for the Maersk Eindhorn, the most moves for a ship in the history of the Port.

In recognition of its success in increasing exports out of the Port of Baltimore, the Maryland Port Administration received the President’s “E Star” Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2014.

Grandeur of the Seas cruise ship, Cruise Maryland Terminal, Baltimore, Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

Grandeur of the Seas cruise ship, heading to sea, Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2017. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

The Port first drew attention for its ships in 1670 and was designated a port of entry by the General Assembly in 1706. Fells Point, the deepest part of the harbor, was home to numerous shipbuilders, and later would gain renown for its Baltimore clippers, as well as the Continental Navy. Its natural depth made Fells Point a center for trade and shipping, and, in 1773, it was incorporated into Baltimore City.

As Baltimore grew into a city during the Revolutionary War, the Port of Baltimore became a center for the trade with the West Indies that supported the war effort. To protect the Port, an earthwork fort, known as Fort Whetstone, was erected in 1776 on Whetstone Point, the narrow peninsula between branches of the Patapsco River. Wardens of the Port were authorized in 1783 to oversee construction of wharves, clear waterways, and collect duties from vessels entering and clearing the Port (Chapter 24, Acts of 1783).

Trade with China commenced in 1785 as John O'Donnell brought in goods to that part of the City called Canton, just east of Fells Point.

In 1793, as England warred with France, Maryland relinquished control of Fort Whetstone to the federal government. To protect coastal shipping and cities, the federal government began construction in 1794 of a series of Atlantic forts, among them Fort McHenry. To protect Baltimore's Port, Fort McHenry was constructed on the site of the Whetstone earthworks in 1794. Near the old fort, masonry stood in place of earthen walls, and more cannons were added, creating an upper and lower battery. The need for this more defensive structure was proven at the Battle of North Point during the War of 1812.

During the 19th century, Baltimore clipper ships sped from the Port around the world and developed a particularly lucrative trade with South America.

Although Baltimore was a port long before it was a city, the State delayed its role in port development until 1827. Then, the Governor began annually to appoint State wharfingers who took charge of State-owned or leased docks, particularly those adjacent to the State Tobacco Warehouse.

With the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad connecting to Port warehouses at Locust Point in 1845, Baltimore became the commercial gateway to an expanding nation. As supply and demand grew for imported goods to Baltimore, ship production and design increased.

Along with goods, the number of people coming to Baltimore increased from the late 1860s until 1914 with the onset of World War I. In 1868, the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad opened an immigration pier at Locust Point as part of an agreement made two years earlier with the North German Lloyd Company that would ensure at least one passenger ship monthly if the B&O provided the pier and connecting rail lines. In 1882, immigration became regulated by the federal government and during 1887, a station was added to the Locust Point pier for federal personnel to inspect immigrants and clear them for entry. By the time the last immigrant ship arrived in 1914, over 1.2 million Europeans had used Baltimore as a port of entry.

Channels.. Throughout its history, the Port's depth and width have expanded dramatically. In 1830 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed Baltimore Harbor, establishing the central lane depth at 17 feet. Though dredging had been conducted earlier, the federal River and Harbor Act of 1852 first authorized dredging to obtain specific dimensions. The Act authorized a channel, some 22 feet deep and 150 feet wide, from Fort McHenry to Swan Point. In 1869, to decrease sediment accumulations and reduce the need to dredge, the Brewerton Channel was created. Also 22 feet in depth, this new channel was 200 feet in width.

By 1968, the Brewerton Channel had been expanded to 42 feet deep and 600 feet across. Later, the Brewerton Channel Eastern Extension was initially dredged with a depth of 27 feet and a width of 400 feet, but was expanded first to 35 feet deep and 450 feet across in 1986, and again to 600 feet wide in 2001.

In 1990, the Fort McHenry Channel was dredged 50 feet deep, while a turning basin that measured 1,200 feet wide, 1,200 feet long, and 50 feet deep was added to that Channel in 1999. Later, the Brewerton Channel in 2001 expanded to 50 feet deep and 700 feet wide. In 2012, the Seagirt Marine Terminal berth also was deepened to 50 feet. Afterwards, to accommodate the world's largest container ships, the Dundalk-Seagirt Access Channel to the Seagirt was widened to 500 feet. At Seagirt, a second 50-foot container berth was made ready in April 2021 to serve two supersized container ships at the same time. Over the years, new channels have been added, and others deepened and widened.

Today, six primary channels form the 126-mile network of deep-water routes connecting Chesapeake Bay to the Port of Baltimore. Federally-maintained, they include: Brewerton Channel (51'x700'), Brewerton Channel Eastern Extension (36'x600'), Craighill Channel (50'x700'), Curtis Bay Channel (50'x400'), Fort McHenry Channel (50'x700'), and Tolchester Channel (36'x600').

The Port of Baltimore continues to improve its operations today. To move double-stack train cars, reconstruction began in November 2021 on the Howard Street Tunnel. Ahead of schedule, on October 28, 2024, double-stack rail operations started both to and from the Port. In addition to the tunnel reconstruction, four Neo-Panamax cranes began operating at the Port's terminals in May 2022 with plans for additional cranes to be added later. Ongoing berth reconstructions are planned to increase capacity for larger and heavier roll on/roll off cargo, such as combines and harvesters.

Though constantly growing since its inception, considerable time elapsed before the Port had a State agency to oversee operations. The Maryland Port Authority assumed that role in 1956 (Chapter 2, Acts of Special Session of 1956). The Authority's prime concern was to keep the Port competitive by improving and modernizing its facilities and by promoting it worldwide. In 1971, the Authority was replaced by the Maryland Port Administration under the Department of Transportation.

In recent years, the Maryland Port Administration has been recognized in its efforts to clean up the environment in its public marine terminals, as well as in the surrounding area. The Port Administration has received certification in international standards for environmental management, known as ISO 14001 for Environmental Management System, by NSF International in 2014, 2017, and 2020. The Port Administration's environmental initiatives include the installation of stormwater management systems at both the Fairfield and Dundalk Marine Terminals and addition of a number of green projects to its workload, including taking part in ecological programs, such as the Green Schools Program. In the Masonville Restoration Project, the Port Administration restored an industry-polluted shoreline and, in 2009, opened the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center among 70 acres of water and 54 acres of restored wetlands and nature trails. In 2013, these actions resulted in the Port being named the first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2015, the Port began installing new LED light fixtures throughout its terminals, starting with the bridge connecting the Dundalk and Seagirt Marine Terminals, in order to reduce energy consumption and energy and maintenance costs, as well as to increase safety. In 2019, the Port partnered with the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore to restore a stream and create a biorention area for water. Also in 2019, the Port Administration provided funding to the Department of Natural Resources to aid in oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. Dredging and clean-up efforts have improved over 22 acres surrounding the Port. Sediment dredged from the Port's shipping channels have been used to restore wetlands and rebuild eroding islands, including Poplar and Hart-Miller Islands, making the Port Administration the largest creator of wetlands in the State. Poplar Island is home to a variety of birds and other wildlife and is an important nesting ground for terrapins. Hart-Miller Island is a habitat for migratory birds, as well as a popular spot for recreational boaters. In February 2022, the Port received a $1.8 Million Diesel Emission Reduction Act grant from the Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Equipment Upgrade Program to replace older diesel-powered equipment in order to reduce emissions. In 2023, the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project began, which includes the restoration of 2,072 acres of James Island and 72 acres on Barren Island, as well as the protection of Dorchester County's shoreline.

In conjunction with the 300th anniversary of the Port's creation, the Governor named the State's public marine terminals the "Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore" on June 1, 2006. On October 1, 2024, the General Assembly authorized the renaming of the Port by statute (Chapters 4 & 5, Acts of 2024).

USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), North Locust Point, Port of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2016. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

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