Port of Baltimore Receiving More Ford Imports

The number of autos handled at the Port of Baltimore increased by about 16 percent this year from the same time last year and is expected to rise further as Ford Motor Co. imports more new Ford Fiestas through the port.

The new Ford Fiestas from Ford plants in Mexico, which began arriving June 24 onboard a "K" Line roll-on, roll-off vessel, will arrive throughout the rest of this year at the Port's Dundalk Marine Terminal.

"Ford's decision to bring more cars to Baltimore is another good sign for Maryland as we begin our recovery from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression," said Governor Martin O'Malley.

Earlier this year, BMW began shipping the first of 50,000 new vehicles through the Port of Baltimore annually for the next five years.

The Port of Baltimore also serves as the primary port of entry for the Ford Transit Connect van from Turkey. Baltimore receives about 85 percent of the 35,000 vans that are imported into the U.S. annually.

Autos are one of the main commodities handled at the Port of Baltimore's public marine terminals. In 2009, the Port of Baltimore handled about 375,000 cars total.

The Maryland Port Administration recently announced that it handled more autos in March at the public marine terminals of the Port of Baltimore than at any time in at least the last 10 years. In March, 38,053 autos came through the port's public terminals. The port's previous record for most cars handled was 37,552 in July 2008. In January 2009 in the heart of the economic downturn, auto volumes at the Port dropped to 13,558 cars.