PORT OF BALTIMORE
Richard Scher, director of Communications

FTZ No. 74
Big Ship Ready: Yes
Rail: CSX, NS
Highways: I-95, I-70, I-695, I-83
Top Exports: Coal, Autos, Machinery
Cargo Types: Containers, Ro/Ro, Bulk

What infrastructure additions has the port made to support shippers over the past two years?
Baltimore now has a 50-foot-deep container berth and four Super Post-Panamax cranes and is now one of only two U.S. East Coast ports able to handle the largest ships in the world today. Baltimore also added a new auto berth and has added new rail lift pads to improve the efficiency of handling that cargo.

What do you have in place to get trucks in and out fast?
Baltimore has the fastest truck turn times among East Coast ports—30 minutes for a single move and under 60 minutes for a double move. We attribute that to the efficiency of our Seagirt Marine Terminal.

What’s your elevator pitch?
The Port of Baltimore is located within the third-largest consumer market in the U.S. and is situated right off I-95, the main street of the East Coast. It is the closest East Coast port to the Midwest and has an industry-renown quality program that brings together all key players in the cargo supply chain. On the auto side, Baltimore has four on-dock auto processors; for forest products, [the port] maintains state-of-the-art warehouse facilities. Baltimore also is proud to be part of the new M2 Maersk-MSC container service.

PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY
Richard Larrabee, director of Port Commerce

FTZ No. 1 (N.Y.), 49 (N.J.)
Big Ship Ready: Target of 2016
Rail: CSX, NS, Canadian Pacific
Highways: I-78, I-95, I-278
Days to China: 32
Top Exports: Wood Pulp, Vehicles, Plastics
Cargo Types: Containers, Break Bulk, Ro/Ro

What infrastructure additions has the port made to support shippers over the past two years?
Our harbor-deepening project will give us 50-foot channels to all of our major container terminals. We are raising the Bayonne Bridge [from 151 feet to 215 feet], which has been somewhat of a restriction for larger container ships. We have invested about $700 million in rail infrastructure with on-dock rail at all of our container facilities with the exception of Global in Bayonne.

What’s your biggest locational advantage?
We’ve got 21 million consumers in our local market. It’s the biggest consumer market in the United States. The third biggest local market is probably in the Midwest, and we have a direct line to it with trains that go out six days a week.

What’s your elevator pitch?
By the end of 2016, the [Bayonne] bridge will be raised and the channel will be completed. Our on-dock rail facilities are robust. A lot of our roadway projects will be finished and with the work that we’re doing with the Counsel on Port Performance, this port is going to be ready to take a quantum step up in terms of delivering excellent service to both importers and exporters.

MASSPORT
Deborah Hadden, director

FTZ No. 27
Big Ship Ready: Target of 2017
Highway: I-90, I-93
Days to Northern Europe: 30
Top Exports: Recycled Paper, Logs/Lumber, Foam Waste
Cargo Types: Containers, Break Bulk, Liquid Bulk

What infrastructure additions has the port made to support shippers over the past two years?
Working with our business partners we decided that the most important thing was to have a good labor force. We negotiated a win-win contract with the ILA (International Longshoreman’s Association) allowing us to dramatically increase productivity and our customers have really noticed, as have others. We’re getting a lot of new ships coming in and volume has started to climb.

What’s your elevator pitch?
Massport offers all-water service between Boston and two different ports in Europe, also to Northern Asia. Also, we’re pretty consistent with a turnaround for trucks under a half hour.

What exciting developments are on the horizon for your port?
The most important project we’re working on is making sure we’ll be able to handle the larger ships once they’re going through the Panama Canal. Dredging will begin at the end of the year and we will have 50-foot depth at our berths. They’re estimating the project will be done at the end of 2017.

PORT METRO VANCOUVER
Big Ship Ready: Yes
Rail: BNSF, CN, CP, Southern Railway of British Columbia
Highways: Hwy 1, Hwy 17A, Hwy 91, Hwy 99
Days to Tokyo: 13.8
Top Export: Metallurgical Coal, Woodchips, Logs

PORT OF PRINCE RUPERT
Big Ship Ready: Yes
Rail: CN
Highways: Hwy 16
Days to China: 10
Top Exports: Containers, Grain, Coal

PORT MONTREAL
Big Ship Ready: Yes
Rail: CN, CP
Days to Antwerp: 7
Top Exports: Containerized Cargo, Petroleum Products, Various Metal Products