The Port of Baltimore is the No. 1 US port for ro-ro farm and construction machinery, with 887,513 tons in 2025, and the No. 1 port for forest products at 1.1 million tons. Most of that cargo crosses the quay at Dundalk Marine Terminal. If your freight rolls, lifts or comes in a shed rather than a container, Dundalk is your terminal.
The terminal at a glance
Dundalk sits on the east side of the harbor next to Seagirt, the container terminal. The Maryland Port Administration owns it and contracted stevedores and processors work it: Amports, Balterm, Ceres, Mid-Atlantic Terminals and Ports America Chesapeake.
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Land | 570 acres |
| Berths | 13: four at 34 ft, seven at 42 ft, two at 50 ft |
| Container cranes | Four, 40 long tons each |
| Heavy-lift cranes | Mobile cranes rated 300 long tons and 550 short tons |
| Covered storage | 10 sheds, 789,820 sq ft |
| Open storage | 225 acres autos, 105 acres containers, 93 acres ro-ro, 20.1 acres breakbulk |
| Rail | More than 8 miles of on-terminal track, Norfolk Southern direct, CSX by interchange |
Ro-ro and autos
MPA calls Dundalk the top US ro-ro terminal. Every major ro-ro carrier calls Baltimore. Wallenius Wilhelmsen holds a 20-year agreement for a 150-acre East Coast hub on the terminal, which anchors the vehicle and high-and-heavy trade. The port handled 728,225 autos and light trucks in 2025, the No. 2 total in the US and the 13th straight year above 700,000.
For a machinery importer the practical facts are these. Ro-ro cargo drives off the vessel under its own power or on a roll trailer, so there is no crane cycle. It then waits on terminal for a processor or a carrier. The unit-train machinery yard and more than 50 auto-rack spots let large OEM volumes move by rail. Smaller volumes move by lowboy, step deck or flatbed, and that is where oversize permits and the harbor tunnel limits come in. Read ro-ro logistics for the dealer-delivery workflow.
Breakbulk, forest products and project cargo
Dundalk is the port’s main breakbulk terminal. MPA lists steel coils, raw rubber, wood pulp, rolled paper and project cargo among its commodities. The 789,820 sq ft of sheds keep paper and pulp dry between vessel and truck, and wood pulp is one of the port’s fastest-growing cargoes.
Heavy lift runs through the 300 long ton and 550 short ton mobile cranes. The heavy rail spur is rated for 71,500 lb per axle, so a transformer or a press frame can go from berth to railcar on terminal. For an out-of-gauge piece the lift is usually the easy part. The hard part is the road. See project cargo and breakbulk.
Rail at Dundalk
Norfolk Southern runs directly onto the terminal. CSX reaches it by interchange and, since June 2026, runs double-stack from the neighboring Seagirt yard to the Midwest. For auto racks and machinery unit trains, NS direct service is the Dundalk advantage. For containers, the CSX on-dock yard at Seagirt is the better door. The double-stack page covers the container side.
Planning a Dundalk pickup
- Know the processor. Autos and much of the machinery are released by a processor, not the stevedore. The bill of lading names it.
- Measure before you book. Anything over 14 ft 6 in high or 11 ft wide cannot use the I-95 or I-895 tunnels. From Dundalk, the east-side destinations (Sparrows Point, White Marsh, I-95 north) avoid tunnels. South-side and BWI destinations do not. The Key Bridge routing page gives the detour mileage.
- Match the trailer to the piece. Lowboy, step deck, flatbed or RGN. Our partners confirm it from the packing list and photos.
- Book covered storage early. Forest products and coils that cannot deliver on discharge day need a shed or a partner warehouse, and shed space follows vessel schedules.
- Confirm gate hours with the stevedore. Hours differ by operator and by cargo. We do not print them because they change.
How Baltimore 3PL uses this
Dundalk is where our ro-ro and project cargo partners do their daily work. The desk books the right trailer, the permit and the route, and pairs it with a drayage or transload partner on the east side when the piece cannot deliver straight from the berth.
What to send for a quote
- Commodity, piece count and the packing list with dimensions and weights per piece
- Vessel, carrier and the processor or stevedore named on the bill of lading
- Delivery address and site constraints such as crane, forklift or dock access
- Whether the piece is over 14 ft 6 in high, 11 ft wide, overweight or hazmat
- Required delivery date and whether interim covered storage is acceptable
Send it to the quote desk and you get the routing, equipment and timeline within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01What cargo goes through Dundalk Marine Terminal?
Autos, ro-ro farm and construction machinery, breakbulk such as steel coils and raw rubber, wood pulp and rolled paper, project cargo and some containers. It is the port’s general-purpose terminal.
02Who operates Dundalk?
The Maryland Port Administration owns it. MPA lists Amports, Balterm, Ceres, Mid-Atlantic Terminals and Ports America Chesapeake as the stevedores and processors working the terminal.
03How heavy a lift can Dundalk handle?
MPA lists mobile heavy-lift cranes rated at 300 long tons and 550 short tons, plus four 40 long ton container cranes. The heavy rail spur is rated at 71,500 lb per axle.
04Which railroad serves Dundalk?
Norfolk Southern serves the terminal directly over more than 8 miles of on-terminal track. CSX reaches it by interchange. There is a unit-train machinery yard and more than 50 auto-rack spots.
05Why is Wallenius Wilhelmsen important at Dundalk?
Wallenius Wilhelmsen signed a 20-year agreement for a 150-acre East Coast hub at Dundalk. Its ro-ro vessels bring a large share of the port’s autos and high-and-heavy machinery.
06Can a Dundalk load reach Seagirt or Tradepoint Atlantic without a tunnel?
Yes. All three sit on the east side of the harbor and connect by surface roads. Oversize and hazmat moves between them never needed the Key Bridge.