An investment in a 50-foot berth enabled the 14,424-TEU Evergreen Triton to pay a visit to Maryland.
The Evergreen Triton, with a capacity to handle 14,424 TEUs, became the largest containership to visit Maryland when it berthed Friday at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.
“Thanks to Maryland’s investment in a 50-foot berth, every year we are seeing larger and larger containerships choosing the Port of Baltimore,” said Gov. Larry Hogan.
Previously, the largest containership to visit the Port of Baltimore was the 11,000-TEU Gunde Maersk, which arrived in October.
Thanks to a public-private partnership between the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) and Ports America Chesapeake, the Port of Baltimore is one of the few ports on the East Coast to have a 50-foot deep channel and a 50-foot deep berth necessary to accommodate the mega-ships traveling through the expanded Panama Canal, according to a press release announcing the arrival of the Triton.
Ports America Chesapeake operates Seagirt Marine Terminal, the Port of Baltimore’s container terminal.
In December, MDOT MPA and Ports America Chesapeake announced a $32.7 million project to develop a second 50-foot-deep container berth at Seagirt Marine Terminal. When completed, this second berth will allow the Port of Baltimore to handle two supersized container ships simultaneously. Construction on the new berth is expected to commence by the end of 2019. The berth is expected to become operational by early 2021.
“The partnership between the Port of Baltimore, Ports America Chesapeake and Evergreen will continue to allow the world’s largest containerships to deliver the goods and commodities that power America’s economy through Maryland,” said Bayard Hogans, vice president of Ports America Chesapeake.
