As the nation’s ports are clogged with backlogs, the Port of Baltimore is operating smoothly and attracting new ships.
Nationally cargo ports, such as the Port of Los Angeles, are experiencing significant backlogs. On both coasts and in the gulf ships are being forced to stay anchored offshore for days or weeks. Cargo that has been unloaded often has nowhere to be stored as warehouses are full. This has greatly impacted the operations of local government as many basic supplies are becoming difficult to source. But in this national backlog, Maryland’s own Port of Baltimore has yet to experience congestion or the stresses of capacity limitations.
According to Fox Business, Maryland Port Administration Executive Director Bill Doyle said:
“We have many local distribution centers, an excellent truck and rail network and very skilled long-shore workers which all contribute to reasons why containers move efficiently through the Port of Baltimore,”
Over the past 14 months, nearly 24 ships made ad-hoc stops in Baltimore. Within the past eight weeks, two shipping lines announced they would be using the port going forward.
The national backlog is not only because of ports. Other problems causing the congestion include limited storage space, shortages of trained works and truck drivers, and further bottlenecks within the international supply chain. The AP quoted President Biden as saying:
“We need to take a longer view and invest in building greater resiliency to withstand the kinds of shocks we’ve seen over and over, year in and year out, the risk of pandemic, extreme weather, climate change, cyberattacks, weather disruptions,”
