Baltimore and business

For Jim Shapiro, Director of Thunderbolt Global Logistics, a Baltimore freight forwarder and customs broker, one key to building on the Key Bridge recovery is the ease of doing business at the Port of Baltimore.

“We handle a lot of out of gauge cargo on flat racks, open top... Baltimore is less complicated when you have to pick up or deliver oversize cargo. New York has container terminals spread out from Staten Island, NY to Bayonne, NJ. If we have to pick up at Liberty, NY terminal on Staten Island or Liberty, NJ in Bayonne we can have significant extra charges. There are also cargo height restrictions at Liberty, NJ. Other terminals have pick up restrictions and additional costs as well,” Shapiro said. “Norfolk on the other hand requires appointments to strip flat racks or open tops at the terminal and by the time the cargo is available to make an appointment there may not be any available and demurrage can accrue. Baltimore is less complicated. We can strip very heavy or tall/wide flat racks at a facility on the terminal. It makes it easier. It’s also less congested in Baltimore. The other reason is trucking costs can be lower since Baltimore is further inland compared to New York and Norfolk, and the distance is less to the Midwest.”

“Geography has always been an advantage for The Port of Baltimore. As I said previously the distance from Baltimore to the Midwest is less compared to Norfolk and New York. The proximity of the port to I-95 allows cargo to get right on the interstate and on its way to final destination. Distance matters when calculating trucking costs. There is relatively little congestion at the port terminals as well. It does happen on occasion when vessels bunch up due to delays on their incoming schedule.”

Shapiro said the long-range planning process should address an increase in European and Mediterranean carriers calling the port.

“Europe is a mature market but it’s full of cargo that American businesses and consumers want. They have their issues over there economically and politically, but the freight is there. It’s vital to have direct vessels calls from Northern Europe and Mediterranean ports,” he said. “We see a lot of machinery that is made in Europe having to go through New York and Norfolk due to a lack of vessel calls in Baltimore. This should be a top priority for the MPA. Continued focus on Ro/Ro and breakbulk cargo is essential to having a diversified cargo base. The Howard Street Tunnel will hopefully be a tipping point for container carriers to consider using the Port of Baltimore. Chicago is a huge market. Baltimore can offer carriers 48 hours from the time the train leaves Baltimore to arrive in Chicago. New York has constant congestion and delays with rail moves.”

Shapiro’s not alone with his optimism of the business climate in Baltimore. Mark Anthony Thomas, CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), a nonprofit association “dedicated to fostering the prosperity of the Baltimore Region,” in an interview with the AJOT, commented, “I think part of what I do have a lot of excitement about what is ahead.” In 2022 the GBC merged with Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore—an organization that marketed the region for business investments—and hired Mark Anthony Thomas as its first new head in over twenty years. Thomas said that “…it felt, when I moved here, there are so few examples of bold moves…” But believes the region is now forging ahead and now says, “I do think you have to have the muscle of making efforts happen to really understand the potential of what can happen.” And added, “I want everyone in the world to have awareness around our economy, and have the story they need to be told, for why they should be investing here.”

Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities

Pete Menzies, president of The Terminal Corporation, a fourth-generation logistics and warehousing company with locations in Baltimore and Jacksonville, FL, sees opportunity all around the Port of Baltimore.

“We’re expanding our roll-on/roll-off and our oversized cargo handling and storage capabilities. We’re backing that up with investment in heavy-lift equipment rated to 36,000 pounds. We’ve also converted 30,000 square feet of indoor space to a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), along with six acres of outdoor FTZ, at our Dundalk facility, and we’re working to add more FTZ capacity at our Broening Highway facility, a 545,000-square-foot building right behind the Port of Baltimore,” Menzies said. “That FTZ option should be available soon, and we’re excited to bring it to our customers...the Port handled roughly 50 million tons of cargo in 2025, its second-best year on record, and set new highs for container ship calls along the way. That kind of recovery happens when the people who run a gateway know how to adapt under pressure and get the work done. As we like to say, ‘there’s no substitute for experience.”

Looking ahead, Menzies said 2026 has been filled with different challenges and he expects companies, port users and the MPA to react accordingly.

“2026 has been a year of constant change, and we don’t see that letting up. Tariffs, freight rates, inventory levels, labor, insurance, fuel prices — the variables keep moving, and in a climate like this, flexibility is a must-have in a company’s supply chain. We’re seeing some cautious optimism. Companies aren’t sitting still, but they’re hedging, making shorter-term calls about how they move goods to market, keeping their options open, and spreading risk rather than locking in one long bet. For the rest of the year, we expect customers to keep leaning on partners who can absorb the exceptions and keep them flexible,” he said. “The (MPA’s) long-range planning process is the right moment to set priorities, and there’s real opportunity here. Keep the channel deep, the berths productive, the trucks moving, and the rail connected — and protect the industrial land around the port, because once that land converts to other uses, the warehousing, transload, and equipment capacity that makes Baltimore function has nowhere to go. The bigger opportunity is telling Baltimore’s story. There’s been tremendous investment here - from both the port and operators like us - but cargo owners across the country still don’t know the full picture. Marketing that progress and putting real incentives behind it would bring more cargo through Baltimore, and that lifts everyone in this community. The foundation is here. The work now is making sure the rest of the country/world sees it.”