On October 6, 2026, Anduril Industries announced a $3.7 billion shipyard at Tradepoint Atlantic, the private port at Sparrows Point, to build Virginia-class submarine components under a Navy production contract worth up to $2.9 billion. The plan calls for about 2 million square feet and 3,100 direct jobs, one mile from Dundalk and Seagirt. Add Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground and Northrop Grumman in Linthicum, and the Baltimore region is one of the densest defense supply chains on the East Coast. The problem for a prime or a subcontractor is not finding a truck. It is finding a warehouse and a carrier that meet the program’s security and traceability rules, then keeping every move documented. Baltimore 3PL finds them and keeps the file.
How this cargo moves through the Port of Baltimore
Defense and aerospace freight reaches Baltimore three ways. Containerized components and machine tools arrive at Seagirt Marine Terminal, the container terminal with 50-foot berths and on-dock CSX rail. Oversize modules, steel and heavy equipment arrive as breakbulk at Dundalk Marine Terminal, which has 300-long-ton and 550-short-ton heavy-lift cranes and direct Norfolk Southern rail. Domestic freight arrives by truck along I-95 and I-70.
Sparrows Point sits on the east side of the harbor. Freight between Tradepoint Atlantic and Dundalk or Seagirt is a short surface-road hop that never needed the Key Bridge. All of Tradepoint Atlantic is inside Foreign Trade Zone No. 74, which matters for imported components held before entry. The Sparrows Point Container Terminal, now under construction with a first berth due in 2028, will add a second container gateway next door to the shipyard. See the Sparrows Point Container Terminal page for the timeline.
Aerospace parts rank among the port’s top exports by value. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Linthicum sits by BWI airport, so air cargo and ocean freight often meet in the same program.
What we set up for defense, aerospace and government shippers
- Construction-phase inbound. Steel, modules, machine tools and plant equipment for the Sparrows Point shipyard, coordinated through our project cargo and breakbulk desk.
- Program warehousing. Segregated, access-controlled storage in partner warehouses near Sparrows Point, Aberdeen and the BWI corridor. See warehousing.
- Kitting for integrators. Bill-of-material kits, serialized labeling and ESD-safe handling through kitting partners serving Fort Meade, Annapolis Junction and APG contractors.
- Secure transport. Sealed trailers, named drivers, team drivers where required and signature chain of custody through vetted carrier partners.
- Time-definite delivery. Scheduled inbound to Linthicum, Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground gates, with the paperwork the gate expects.
- FTZ holding. Duty-deferred storage for imported components inside FTZ 74 partner warehouses. Read the FTZ 74 guide.
What the partner network brings
We do not own the warehouse. We own the relationship, and the result. Baltimore 3PL is a service-area logistics company. Every defense move in Baltimore runs through a partner network we have curated for 50 years: warehouse operators, carriers, riggers, forwarders and licensed customs brokers. We hold no ITAR registration or CMMC certification ourselves and do not claim one. Our partners hold the registrations a program needs, and we place freight only with partners whose clearances and permits fit the contract. Before any freight moves, we tell you which partner holds the requirement and how the custody record is kept. Customs clearance is coordinated through our licensed customs broker partners. One desk, every building: (419) 745-9492, Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 18:00 Eastern.
The installations and what each one needs
Sparrows Point, Anduril. Announced October 2026, with public support that could reach roughly $481 million under the proposal. The near-term work is construction logistics: steel, modules, cranes and machine tools landing at Dundalk or Tradepoint Atlantic and staged until the site can take them. From 2027 the work shifts to a submarine-component supply chain with traceability and secure storage within a mile of the port.
Fort Meade. Home to NSA, US Cyber Command and DISA. A state study counted about 47,000 payroll positions and 116,000 total jobs supported. Contractors cluster in Columbia, Annapolis Junction and Hanover. Needs: kitting, secure storage, scheduled deliveries.
Aberdeen Proving Ground. About 23,700 jobs supported, in Harford County on the I-95 North corridor. Harford also hosts the Eastgate 95 and Perryman logistics parks. Needs: test equipment, oversize moves, staged inbound.
Northrop Grumman, Linthicum. Mission Systems by BWI, described as the largest manufacturing employer in Maryland, with a space payload integration and test building. Needs: ESD-safe handling, time-definite inbound, air-and-ocean coordination.
Our Sparrows Point and Aberdeen location pages describe the ground.
What to send for a quote
- Program or contract reference and the security requirements that apply to storage and transport
- Commodity list with dimensions, weights and any serialization or ESD requirement
- Origin: vessel and terminal, air cargo at BWI, or domestic supplier
- Destination gate: Sparrows Point, Fort Meade, APG, Linthicum or another site
- Expected storage dwell and kitting scope
- Delivery schedule and any gate appointment rules
Send it to operations@sams3pl.com or use the quote form. You get a reply within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01Are you ITAR-registered or CMMC-certified?
No, and we do not claim to be. We place defense freight only with partners whose registrations and clearances fit the program. Our partners hold what a contract requires, and we tell you which partner holds it before the freight moves.
02What is coming to Sparrows Point?
Anduril announced on October 6, 2026 a $3.7 billion shipyard at Tradepoint Atlantic to build Virginia-class submarine components, with about 3,100 direct jobs. Construction inbound starts well before production.
03Which installations anchor defense demand near Baltimore?
Fort Meade, home to NSA, US Cyber Command and DISA, supports about 116,000 jobs. Aberdeen Proving Ground supports about 23,700. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Linthicum is a major manufacturing employer.
04Can you provide secure chain of custody?
We coordinate sealed trailers, named-driver carriers, signature handoffs and segregated storage through partners set up for it. Tell us the program requirement and we match the partner to it.
05Do you own a secure warehouse?
No. We do not own any warehouse. We coordinate storage in partner warehouses near Sparrows Point, Aberdeen and the BWI corridor, and you get one accountable desk for all of them.