Page 32 - Port of Baltimore - May/June 2019

CARGO RECORDS
BY TODD KARPOVICH
THE PORT OF BALTIMORE IS BACK TO ITS RECORD-SETTING WAYS WITH ROLL-ON/ROLL-OFF (RO/ RO) CARGO AFTER WEATHERING A STORM OF TOUGH MARKET CONDITIONS DURING THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.
Baltimore handles the majority of the U.S. East Coast’s market share of ro/ro cargo, more than any other U.S. port annually.
The Port has maintained its status as one of the world’s top destinations for ro/ro because of its prowess and careful handling of this type of machinery, resulting in the lowest damage possible.
In addition, the Port has the closest proximity to Midwest manufacturers among all
U.S. ports and has skilled longshoremen, some of whom participate in the annual “Ro/Ro Rodeo” to learn how to navigate the latest machinery.
The Maryland Department
of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) also developed the QCHAT (Quality Cargo Handling Action Team) initiative to assess performance areas, identify problems, and take corrective action steps to improve the quality handling of the cargo at the Port.
The first quarter of this year for ro/ro has already been strong, with 335,638 tons of cargo pass- ing through the Port, an increase of 32.5 percent from last year.
The ro/ro cargo is costly to move and accommodate and requires special care from the Port’s talented workforce, who help to ensure that the freight is
handled more carefully here than at any other port.
Baltimore also has good access to the Midwest’s
major farm and construction equipment manufacturers. This proximity has helped the Port become the leading U.S. port for combines, tractors, hay balers and in the import of excavators and backhoes.
“We have every major ro/
ro service calling at the Port, covering every major trade lane,” said Joe Marecki, Administrator, Sales & Marketing – Business Development for Ro/ Ro at the MDOT MPA. “With
so many services calling at the Port, we have a critical mass
of service providers — rail
lines, truckers, stevedores, processors, etc. — that
gives the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) options, making for an overall more competitive environment. Strategic location and being located 150 miles closer to
the Midwest gives OEM’s a tremendous advantage with regards to inland transportation.”
The Port of Baltimore’s quality initiatives like QCHAT (Quality Cargo Handling Action Team), a service provided by the MDOT MPA to protect
the quality of maritime-related
cargo, have also set the standard for global quality and excellence in ro/ro handling.
QCHAT and the Port collaborate with all elements of the Port’s industry and labor to identify and implement quality- focused handling practices and procedures to prevent damage to any cargo and maintain the highest level of cargo quality and procures best practices.
QCHAT meetings include representatives from steamship lines, railroads, manufacturers, stevedores, processors, longshoremen and terminal
[30] The Port of Baltimore ■ May/June 2019