BALTIMORE — The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore handled 50 million tons of cargo in 2025 at its state-owned public and private marine terminals, marking its second-best year ever.
The 2025 total surpassed Baltimore's 45.9 million tons handled in 2024, according to the Governor's office, and would have been even higher had the Francis Scott Key Bridge not been destroyed by the cargo ship Dali in 2024.
"Once again, Maryland's Port of Baltimore proves it is one of our nation's top economic assets as it continues to rebound from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024," said Governor Wes Moore.
Moore said the port carries an economic value of $70 billion and supports more than 273,000 Maryland jobs. The cargo handled in 2025 was valued at $65.6 billion — the third-highest in the Port's history. Baltimore ranked 10th among all U.S. ports for foreign cargo value and 11th for foreign cargo tonnage.
The Port handled 2,223 cargo vessel visits in 2025, surpassing the previous record of 2,137 ships set in 2023 — a 21 percent increase over 2024. Baltimore also handled 1.1 million twenty-foot equivalent containers and grew its weekly container services from 12 to 15.
Container volume is expected to grow further with the completion of the Howard Street Tunnel Project. The 130-year-old freight tunnel is being modernized, with clearance adjustments at 22 points between Baltimore and Philadelphia to accommodate double-stacked container trains. The project is projected to add approximately 160,000 containers annually and generate nearly 14,000 jobs, boosting the Port's competitiveness among East Coast ports.
But leaders say there's still room to grow, with man-hours still down.
"The Port of Baltimore is a powerhouse in expeditiously handling cargo and with the completion of the Howard Street Tunnel Project this year — which will allow for double-stacked rail cargo — the Port will have additional capacity to move goods," said Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson.
"A good year for the Port of Baltimore is a good year for the men and women of the International Longshoremen's Association," said ILA Local 333 President Scott Cowan. "It's important to do everything we can and pull out all the stops to continue to ensure that our longshore workers have all the opportunities they can for work."
The port also remained a regional cruise hub. In 2025, 413,639 passengers departed on cruises from Baltimore, ranking among the top 10 passenger counts in the Port's cruise history.
