George Lauriat

Tradepoint Atlantic (TPA) is a mammoth 3,300-acre multi-modal logistics center located in the Port of Baltimore on Sparrows Point, near the entry of the Patapsco River from Chesapeake Bay and ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean. On many levels TPA is a unique place. It is difficult to find a similar space anyplace else on the East Coast or for that matter in North America.

In the Port of Baltimore, Ports America Chesapeake (PAC) is largely known for running the port’s Seagirt Marine Terminal (SMT). After all, the PAC facility, on property leased from the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), accounts for a vast majority of the containers moving through the Port of Baltimore. And recently there has been a lot to talk about with the opening of double stack movements from the SMT through the Howard Tunnel following the tunnel’s enlargement and track work.

Although geo-political shifts have yo-yoed container shipping movements and freight rates over the last two years, the number of TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) that were handled by the world’s largest ports in 2025 represented a solid year for container shipping business.