Of all the eastern U. S. seaports, none has the shipping advantage that Baltimore enjoys. That inherent distinction is the port?s natural inland location.
“The port?s strategic location allows us to move cargo in a more timely and efficient manner,” said Maryland Port Administration executive director Brooks Royster. “Our existing rail services and our immediate access to major interstate highways located justminutes from our terminals gives our port distinct advantages over competing ports.”
The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is the closest Atlantic port to Midwest markets, and an overnight drive to one-third of the nation?s population.
Next-day deliveries by truck can be made to cities such as New York, Cleveland, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y. In two days, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Atlanta can receive cargo from terminals in Baltimore. Aided by the port?s highway network of six major interstates, truckers have access to more than 22,000 miles of public roads.
Comparative transit times to and from the port are recognized by rail service as well. Two of the nation?s premier railroads, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern, link the port of Baltimore with the rest of the nation. Steamship lines can load containers directly onto railcars and ship them cross-country. Typical transit time to the west coast from Baltimore is five to six days. CSX also has daily service to Montreal and Toronto.
The port?s inland position in the mid-Atlantic region is the envy of coastal ports. Centered in the prodigious Washington/Baltimore Common Market, the port provides immediate access to the 6.8 million people in the region.
A primary fuel to Maryland?s economic engine, the HDB Port of Baltimore generates $1.5 billion in business revenues while employing 16,000 Marylanders in direct jobs and another 87,000 in indirect and maritime-related occupations.
Location is everything.
A longtime export analyst and consultant, Joseph R. Hughes? maritime-related articles have appeared in numerous publications. He is a native Baltimorean. E-mail your questions to him at [email protected].
