The largest ship to call on the Port of Baltimore in its 301-year history moored Wednesday, its arrival heralded by port management as the type of ship the port needs to attract with $100 million in upgrades over the next few years.
The MSC Michaela, owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, is 997 feet long, 191 feet high, 131 feet wide, weighs 73,819 tons and can carry 6,724 standard 20-foot long containers. But more important are the economic numbers that such ships, some of which carry twice as many containers, can bring to Baltimore, said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director James White.
White said that although the port has a channel able to handle large ships with a 50-foot draft, it does not have a berth capable of offloading those vessels. Building that berth will take $100 million, and without it he warned the port could suffer.
“We will only be able to get smaller container ships, and that?s not the way the industry is going,” he said. “We?d more than likely lose jobs and lose economic impact.”
White said it would be at least three or four years before the port would be able to construct the berth.
“We?re fighting for the funds we need to grow the port, grow our job base and continue our economic contributions to the state of Maryland,” White said.
As White spoke, five gantry cranes worked to load the Michaela, mostly with empty containers it would take on stops up the East Coast before arriving in Antwerp, Belgium, according to its captain, Velimir Vasilievic of Montenegro.
The ship?s arrival in Baltimore went without incident, and loading of the ship was proceeding as scheduled for its departure around 9 p.m. Wednesday.
“We had no problems,” said chief mate Salvatore Russo, a native of Italy. “The river pilot was very good … very experienced.”
Other members of the ship?s crew said they were pleased with their entrance to the port and time spent here.
“It was for us, with a ship of such a large size, an experience,” said chief engineer Tomislav Mardjokic, also of Montenegro. “But I was very satisfied.”
