Baltimore port prepped for larger ships; New Brunswick port poised for bigger volumes

Last week, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Port of Baltimore officials marked the completion of a new 50-foot-deep berth and installation of four super-sized container cranes at the port’s Seagirt Marine Terminal.

The berth and cranes will enable the port to accommodate larger ships and attract more cargo to Maryland, O’Malley said in a prepared statement.

"This project puts the Port of Baltimore in an excellent competitive position when the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2015 — a project that will literally change the face of the maritime shipping business," he said.

One of two East Coast ports that can accommodate extra-large ships, the Port of Baltimore is served by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway. Canton Railroad Co. provides switching services at the port.

Meanwhile, Port Saint John last week reported significant year-over-year tonnage gains in nearly every sector through 2013's first four months. Total volume rose 7 percent to 10,117,049 tons.

The New Brunswick port's dry bulk volume ballooned 111 percent to 481,617 tons, container volume soared 77 percent to 154,939 tons, 20-foot equivalent unit volume jumped 51 percent to 24,190 and liquid bulk volume increased 4 percent to 9,452,456 tons.

"Port Saint John made record-breaking strides in tonnage during our first quarter [and] I'm pleased to see our success continued into April," said Jim Quinn, the port's president and chief executive officer, in a press release.

Eastern Canada's largest port, Port Saint John is served by the New Brunswick Southern Railway, which interchanges with CN in Saint John.