The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore has set another record at the Seagirt Marine Terminal with 6,000 container moves conducted by longshore workers from the Maersk Edinburgh – the most ever from a single ship in the 315-year history of the Port.
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Maersk Edinburgh arrived at the Port on Monday, February 8, and left early Thursday, February 11.
The final container move was completed at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Container moves are the number of times an imported container is unloaded from a ship, as well as when an export or empty container is loaded onto a ship.
The new record surpasses a previous high mark of 5,536 moves, also from the Maersk Edinburgh and achieved in August 2020.
“This new record for container moves represents the hard work and dedication of our workers at the Port of Baltimore, and again shows how Maryland is rebounding from the economic impacts of COVID-19,†said Governor Larry Hogan.
“Consumer demand and buying confidence is on the upswing, and the industry knows the Port of Baltimore has the team in place to deliver those goods to market.†The new record is part of a notable rebound in container volumes at the Port from low points as the COVID-19 emergency affected economic markets worldwide.
In the most recent reporting period in December, containers at the Port of Baltimore were up 12% compared to low points during the early stages of the pandemic last spring, and up 6% year-over-year compared to December 2019, the third consecutive month for year-over-year gains.
“E-commerce continues to be a driving factor in our recovery,†said William P. Doyle, executive director of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA).
“The Port of Baltimore is surrounded by many of the region’s distribution, fulfillment and sorting centers.
“With consumers making more online purchases during the pandemic, that’s resulting in strong container gains for us.â€
The recent container volume increases include 13 “ad hoc†ship calls since mid-July totaling nearly 18,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) containers.
Ad hoc ships are vessels that were diverted to Baltimore that were not on a regularly scheduled service. ■