Grant Diverted to Add Vehicle Cargo Area in Baltimore
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The stricken Port of Baltimore will be able to receive roll-on/roll-off and bulk cargo due to federal and Maryland officials agreeing to divert a previously awarded $8.26 million port infrastructure grant to add 10 acres of cargo laydown space.
“We signed a revised grant agreement to allow one of the operators at the Port of Baltimore to use previously awarded federal funds to quickly expand cargo capacity at an area of the port that sits outside of the channel blocked by the collapse of Key Bridge,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced April 5.
This move between DOT and Baltimore County signaled another multigovernmental effort to mitigate supply chain disruptions following the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s recent collapse that has paralyzed the Port of Baltimore and sent its cargo to new East Coast destinations.
The diverted federal funds will be spent to accommodate more cargo at the Port of Baltimore’s Tradepoint Atlantic terminal on Sparrows Point, which is located beyond areas impeded by the bridge collapse while the port remains largely closed to commercial cargo vessels.
Join me as I deliver remarks in Maryland following the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. https://t.co/eVA3XCenEx — President Biden (@POTUS) April 5, 2024
Along with helping move roll-on/roll-off and bulk cargo, the extra 10 acres in the laydown area will more than double the previous 10,000-autos-per-month capacity to ensure the port will continue to handle vehicle imports/exports. Before the bridge collapse March 26 that suspended normal vessel traffic, the Port of Baltimore was the nation’s top port for automobile imports and exports.
“TPA has already begun grading work at the site and expects it will be ready to take additional cargo by the end of April,” noted Buttigieg’s announcement.
The Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command coordinates response operations despite the challenging weather conditions April 3. (Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Rivera)
TPA issued a statement that its marine terminal remains fully open, and cargo berths have been accepting previously scheduled arrivals and redirected cargo while vessel traffic beyond the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains temporarily suspended because of channel clearing efforts.
Reinforcing its commitment to accept diverted cargo to support the supply chain and re-establish commercial activity, TPA noted April 2 that over the next 15 days, six regularly scheduled ro-ro vessels and an additional nine redirected vessels would arrive there.
“During that time, 10,000 automobiles will be unloaded and processed utilizing [International Longshoremen’s Association] Local 333,” TPA stated.
Its Baltimore facility is billed as a 3,300-acre multimodal logistics and industrial center that provides a gateway to U.S. domestic and global markets through a combination of access to deep-water berths, rail and highways.
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