Page 8 - Port of Baltimore - Issue 2 2024

PORT MESSAGES MDOT
Cooperation of Port Partners Has Been Critical During Key Bridge Crisis
When you are the Secretary of Transportation for a state, where you oversee six different modes of transportation — including transit, highways, airports, the Port, bridges
and tunnels and motor vehicles — you certainly expect to face plenty of challenges along the way.
However, no one could have anticipated the tragic events that occurred March 26, 2024, at 1:29 a.m. — the moment when the Francis Scott Key Bridge was struck by a cargo ship and collapsed. This tragic event sadly cost the lives of six construction workers who were working on the bridge at the time. It also presented unique and unprecedented challenges as the main shipping channel to the Port of Baltimore was blocked.
Under the incredible guidance and leadership of Gov. Wes Moore, our state came together during this crisis — Maryland Tough and Baltimore Strong. The Unified Command, which includes the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers, has worked around the clock since March 26 to recover the six souls who were lost, lift thousands of tons of wreckage out of the water and clear the Port’s 50-foot-deep channel.
We also received unbelievable cooperation and assistance from many of our key Port partners. Private terminal operator Tradepoint
EXECUTIVE VIEW
Atlantic, which was the only terminal located outside the impacted area, was able to receive roll-on/roll-off ships diverted from our
main public terminals and transport new vehicles to our Dundalk Terminal for processing. CSX started a new rail route between New York and Baltimore that brought us imported containers by rail. And Ports America Chesapeake employed International Longshoremen’s Association labor to perform maintenance work at our Seagirt Terminal while vessel operations were suspended. The support from our partners was unwavering and has been critical during this unprecedented time. The resilient actions of our Port community clearly demonstrated to everyone watching that Baltimore’s Port is a vital gateway to the global trade community.
Finally, I want to recognize the Port’s new Executive Director Jonathan Daniels. His calm and positive demeanor has shined very brightly during this challenging time and further reiterated that he was without question the right man at the right time for this job. Working closely with our Port customers and partners, Jonathan will not only bring the Port of Baltimore back to where it was, but he will bring new ideas and initiatives to take the Port further than it has ever been before.
Paul J. Wiedefeld, Maryland Transportation Secretary
Teamwork, Extraordinary Effort Drive Recovery
Baltimore is back. As I’m writing this, our Unified Command is making final plans to reopen our federal channel to its full 700-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep dimensions with help from the incredible work of the three salvage companies. What began on March 26 and was expected to take possibly half a year to finish has been completed in a little more than two months. The incredible effort by the U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers — Baltimore District in working around the clock since that fateful day has been nothing short of remarkable.
I want to strongly commend the outstanding leadership of Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller
and Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld. Their guidance and “Maryland Tough” approach is like nothing I’ve ever been part of. In my more than 30 years of working in the maritime industry, I have worked with numerous public officials during some very challenging crisis situations and their calm and steady leadership set the foundation for the successful recovery we have today. In 2013 as executive director and CEO of the Mississippi State Port Authority, I helped lead that port through the ongoing devastation it suffered from Hurricane Katrina, while in 2020 as CEO and port director at Port Everglades, the third- busiest cruise homeport in the world, we navigated the pandemic and the crippling impacts it had on the cruise industry.
Since the collapse of the Key Bridge, I have witnessed an incredible coming together of the Port of Baltimore community.
One of the reasons I wanted to come to Baltimore was because
of the close-knit port environment I heard so much about. This incident only reinforced that. The cooperation and teamwork
from our private terminals and terminal operators, International Longshoremen’s Association, truckers, rail partners, Maryland Pilots, tugs, freight forwarders and others in our supply chain was extraordinary. Our Maryland Departments of Commerce and Labor also provided invaluable support with financial assistance and worker retention programs for our port workers.
This has been a very long and emotional process for all of us and it will take some time to fully recover. But make no mistake, we will fully recover and grow even stronger because of it. We told our customers throughout this ordeal that the best way you can help
us is by promising to return to Baltimore and they have. Our vessel schedules have been filling up quickly since our channel reopened. At the Maryland Port Administration, we have begun working on a long-range, master plan that will guide the next 20 years growing business and generating additional jobs.
We are all in this together and I have never been prouder to
be a part of any port and port community in my life more than this one right now. Thank you very much for your patience and for your continued support of our great Port of Baltimore.
Jonathan Daniels, Executive Director
[6] The Port of Baltimore ■ ISSUE 2 / 2024