Port of Baltimore has its second-best year on record amid recovery from Key Bridge collapse
The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore experienced its second-best year on record in 2025 amid its ongoing recovery from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to the Maryland Port Administration.
Nearly 50 million tons of cargo were handled at the port's state-owned public and private marine terminals, totalling $65.5 billion in value, officials said. This was the third-largest value received in the port's history.
"Cargo that comes through the Port of Baltimore reaches points across the country, and all over our world, including Europe, Africa and Asia," said Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. "With an annual economic value of $70 billion and more than 273,000 jobs in Maryland tied to the port, our state is stronger by a successful Port of Baltimore."
The latest update comes two years after the container ship Dali collided with the Key Bridge, sending it into the Patapsco River in March 2024 and leaving six construction workers dead.
Port of Baltimore operations
The total amount of cargo handled at the Port of Baltimore last year surpassed the 45.9 million tons of cargo that was handled in 2024, and was just short of the 2023 record of 52.3 million tons, according to Port Administration officials.
In 2025, the port handled 1.1 million 20-foot containers and 2,223 vessels, a 21% increase from the cargo handled in 2024. The port increased its weekly container services from 12 in 2024 to 15 in 2025, officials said.
Of the 50 million tons of total cargo handled, about 11.1 million tons were auto, farm and construction machinery, containers and forest products.
The public terminals at the port handled 887,513 tons of construction equipment in 2025, a 6% increase from 2024. The port also handled 728,225 autos and light trucks, the second most of all the U.S. ports.
Overall, the Port of Baltimore finished 10th among all the U.S. ports for foreign cargo value and 11th for tons of foreign cargo, according to officials.
During 2025, the port also became one of the most popular cruise ports in the Northeast, with 413,639 passengers cruising from the port.
Howard Street Tunnel project
According to Port Administration officials, the port's business will increase in 2026, once the CSX Howard Street Tunnel Project is complete. The $518 million effort will modernize a 130-year-old freight train tunnel in Baltimore.
"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 Katie Thomson, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation.
The tunnel project will adjust the clearance at 22 points between Baltimore and Philadelphia, allowing for double-stacked container trains to travel to and from the port.
The project should increase business by 160,000 containers per year and generate 14,000 jobs, officials said.
A 1.7-mile section of the tunnel reopened ahead of schedule in September 2025, after being out of service for nearly eight months.
