BALTIMORE — After a 25-year hiatus, Volkswagen has returned to the port of Baltimore.
On Friday the first ship of imported vehicles arrived at the company's new processing and distribution facility at the old Bethlehem Steel site, which is now owned by Tradepoint Atlantic.
The 115 acre terminal will push out an estimated 120,000 new vehicles each year to dealerships across the United States.
Along with the new facility, comes new jobs. Around 100 full-time positions are expected to be added, with the potential for more due to a higher need for trucks and trains to transport the vehicles out.
Out of the two ships handling imports, each one has 13 car decks that are able to carry 4,800 cars at a time.
Both ships are new and powered by liquefied natural gas to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Baltimore was one of the original ports of entry for the Volkswagen the Beetle and Microbus, which were delivered to what is now the Inner Harbor.
