Page 14 - Port of Baltimore - May/June 2019

PORT SOUNDINGS RETIREMENT
Correale Made Lasting Impact
Chris Correale recently retired as Director of Harbor Development for the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA). Correale had managed MDOT MPA’s dredged material management program in that position since 2015.
“The main mission is to ensure that the vessels can
pass safely in and out of the harbor,” Correale said. “You have to dredge the sediment, and then you have to put the sediment someplace that is socially and environmentally acceptable.” An average of 5 million cubic yards of sediment is dredged annually from the Port’s channel system to keep shipping lanes to and from the Port of Baltimore open.
Because Baltimore is an “urban watershed, we are running out of places to put the dredged material,” Correale said. “We have to do something different to ensure the future of the Port.”
She cited several key projects, such as the expansion
of Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, establishment of a regulatory framework for innovative
and beneficial uses of dredged material, expansion of
the Cox Creek dredged material containment facility,
and the continuing development of Masonville Cove as a dredged material containment facility and an environmental education hub that is a designated urban wildlife refuge. She also helped successfully advocate for federal design funding for the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project, a decades-long effort to create island habitats in Dorchester County using dredged material.
“Chris was a tremendous leader who had a vision for moving us forward. Though she was here for only a short
time, she accomplished an incredible
amount and left our organization in a better place. We will miss her talents and wish her a very happy retirement,” said James J. White, Executive Director
of the Maryland
Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA). Furthermore, Correale welcomed the growth of the Trash Wheel family from one member in 2014 to three trash-eaters in 2018.
“I can’t take credit for all of these things,” she said. “Those who came before me did an awful lot to make these happen, as did the entire Harbor Development team.” Correale also praised Maryland’s U.S. senators and representatives for their “extreme dedication” to the Port.
“Chris was an incredible mentor for our department and for me personally,” said Kristen Fidler, the new Director of Harbor Development. “She was always willing to lend an ear anytime and help us solve any problem. Her work has truly made a lasting impact on Harbor Development, one that has changed the office for the better in so many ways.”
Correale retired once before, after 34 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where she finished her career as Chief of Operations for the Corps’ Baltimore District. When retirement wasn’t to her liking, she became a senior advisor to MDOT MPA on dredged material management for EcoLogix, an environmental strategy firm. From there, she was appointed to the position of Director of Harbor Development. 􏰀
Chris Correale
EVENT
BPA Hears Positive ‘State of the Port’ Report
import, accounting for 10 percent of all goods, he said. Salt, sugar and coffee are also major import commodities, with 800,000 tons of sugar passing through the Port annually.
Coal is the largest export, making up about half of the Port’s international tonnage. Asia is the largest coal market, with major shipments going to India, Indonesia and Japan, he added.
Scurti cited the Port’s biggest challenge as the 123-year-old Howard Street Tunnel, which cannot accommodate double-stacked containers, restricting the amount of
Baltimore Port Alliance (BPA) members took away an upbeat picture of the Port from their April meeting.
Recapping the “State of the
Port” in his featured presentation, Dominic Scurti, Manager of Market Planning for the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA), reviewed many of the records set and successes recorded in the past year.
Scurti reiterated the continuing growth of the container business, the record-setting general cargo handling, with 10.9 million tons processed in 2018, and the uptick in the roll-on/ roll-off (ro/ro) equipment business. Overall, the Port saw records in containers and general cargo, maintained its No. 1 ranking in vehicle traffic and added jobs.
Furniture is the Port’s largest
[12] The Port of Baltimore ■ May/June 2019