The Port of Baltimore already is ahead of the curve.
By mid-June, the Maryland Port Administration hopes to have both the Dundalk and Seagirt terminals scanning 100 percent of incoming containers for radiation. Screening the containers with detection devices is a self-initiated move in the war on terrorism, state officials said. This is planned despite cuts to security infrastructure grants from the Department of Homeland Security.
“Containers, per se, are not a threat but a means that can be exposed,” Dr. Scott Truver, a national security expert, said at the Port Security Conference in Baltimore on May 22.
In an interview with The Examiner, Brooks Royster, executive director of the MPA, discussed plans for the port.
Future plans include constructing a fourth berth at the Seagirt Marine Terminal. The MPA would look to add an extra 50 feet of water to work with, as well as state-of-the-art cranes to help unload larger ships.
Another goal is to secure land for future expansion at Sparrows Point or Cox Creek.
“We have a very active planning department, and they are very capable, and we sit monthly and make sure that our vision and our plans are current,” Royster said. “It?s my job to fly high and look over the horizon and check out opportunities.”
The port?s cruise terminals also are expanding. The $13 million South Locust Point terminal, opened last year, will add 10 seven-day cruises on Norwegian Cruise Lines starting in 2008. This comes on the heels of Royal Caribbean International setting 29 departure dates from Baltimore.
“We are very healthy, and we are doing quite well,” Royster said. “In 2007, you are going to see some more records set, and the port will be well-represented in the marketplace.”
