$1M fed grant boosts Port of Baltimore security

Adam Bednar//Daily Record Business Writer//December 19, 2017//

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10-20-17 BALTIMORE, MD- Nord Maru · The ship is carrying 98 million pounds of raw sugar from Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. She is 623 feet long and 100 feet wide. Its deadweight tonnage—the amount of cargo the ship can safely carry—is almost 56 thousand. Her draught is 36.5 feet. · 15 workers are involved in the sugar discharge operation. · Our buyers purchased the raw sugar when it became available. Given the amount of sugar and the distance, we were fortunate have a larger ship available for efficiency. · Our previous record shipment was 95 million pounds of raw sugar from Guatemala in 2012. It was carried by the Simon Schulte, which had a deadweight tonnage of more than 46,000 – considerably less than the Nord Maru’s almost 56,000 tons. · The Domino Sugar Baltimore Refinery is our only refinery that can accommodate vessels of this size thanks to the deep water of the Port of Baltimore. We receive 45 vessels a year of varying sizes. · We source sugar grown in Florida, as well as countries in the topics and subtropics including El Salvador, Brazil, Panama, Guatemala, Columbia and Mexico, among others. · Our refinery has been in operation for more than 95 years. We produce 14% of the nation’s cane sugar, which we refine at a rate of more than 7 million pounds a day. Our refinery is the Port of Baltimore’s largest bulk importer. Our 23 packaging lines produce 40 products ranging from sugar packets to 2,200-lb. totes for our industrial customers. These products are shipped out on 33,000 truck trips and 1,100 rail cars each year. We operate 24/7 with three shifts of employees. Our refinery provides $150 million in local economic activity for the City of Baltimore. (The Daily Record/Maximilian Franz) — The Port of Baltimore is receiving a federal grant to pay for security improvements. (File Photo/Maximilian Franz)

The federal government has awarded the state $1.18 million to make security improvements at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore’s public marine terminals.

Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, via U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding, will be used to upgrade cybersecurity, modernize technology and update the facility security plan.

“It is critically important for the Port of Baltimore to continue to implement the latest security measures to ensure the safety and security of the people who work there and the cargo the port handles,” Maryland Port Administration Executive Director James J. White said in a statement. “Creating a successful balance between productive cargo-handling and a strong security program is something we will continue to pursue.”

The port has been awarded an “excellent” ranking on its Coast Guard security assessment for the past six years. Last year 31.8 million tons of international cargo valued at $49.9 billion passed through the port.

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