SPARROWS POINT, Md. — Transforming the site of the iconic Bethlehem Steel Plant, Tradepoint Atlantic announced a family-owned container shipping business.
They will ship to more than 150 countries and build a new terminal in Sparrows Point.
“This is truly amazing,” said Scott Cowan of the International Longshoremen’s Association, “They call the Port of Baltimore the economic engine. Well, they put a turbocharger on it this time, because this thing is about ready to take off.”
Terminal Investment Limited says in the short term, it will create hundreds of construction jobs with the promise of adding over 1,000 full time jobs when the project is completed, adding to the port’s business.
“There are more than 15,000 direct jobs associated with the port,” said Maryland Port Administration Executive William Doyle, “While approximately 140,000 jobs in Maryland are also connected to the port.”
In light of the port’s impressive numbers, on its face, adding another 1,000 jobs may not seem like much, but each job could bring opportunity to an entire family.
“1,000 new jobs, not just any jobs, but high-quality, high-paying jobs in this environment, it’s a huge win for Baltimore County and for the entire region, for our state,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski.
A turbo-charged economic engine?
Absolutely, say the experts, at a time when the port is already moving goods from around the world limited only by the space it needs to handle even more.
“The container industry is, like I said, the prize for cargo in the maritime industry,” said Cowan, “And with a capacity problem at Seagirt Marine Terminal, this opens up 130 acres of additional capacity so we can bring more container volumes through the Port of Baltimore.”
