CMA CGM Returns to Bustling Baltimore Port
World’s third largest container carrier CMA-CGM of France has announced that it will begin service to the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, USA, within the next couple of weeks.
The Port of Baltimore has been added to CMA-CGM’s Liberty Solo service which also includes visits to ports in Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Le Havre, New York, and Charleston.
“This is great news for the Port of Baltimore and for the thousands of men and women who work here,” said Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Executive Director James J. White.
“CMA-CGM is one of the largest container shipping companies in the world. It is a tribute to the abilities and reputation of the Port of Baltimore as one of the most efficient container ports on the East Coast that a container company of this magnitude decides to bring their business to Maryland.”
The Port of Baltimore averages nearly 40 container moves per hour per crane, and with a 50-foot-deep channel and 50-foot-deep container berth, it can accommodate some of the largest ships in the world today.
Combining both the public and private marine terminals, the Port of Baltimore had a record year in 2014 and saw 29.5 million tons of international cargo valued at nearly USD 53 billion. Overall Baltimore is ranked ninth for the total dollar value of cargo and 13th for cargo tonnage for all US ports.
The news of the return of CMA CGM came one day after Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that 913,139 tons of general cargo and 49,971 containers were handled at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore’s public marine terminals in March, establishing two new monthly records.
CMA CGM stopped calling on the Port of Baltimore back in 2008, when it halted a weekly service operated jointly with China Shipping Container Lines.
