Locust Point is the peninsula on the city side of the Baltimore harbor that ends at Fort McHenry. It holds two Maryland Port Administration terminals, the Domino Sugar refinery and the portal of the I-95 Fort McHenry Tunnel. For a shipper it is a small terminal cluster with three distinct jobs: breakbulk, cruise passengers and raw sugar.
South Locust Point: the cruise terminal
South Locust Point covers about 80 acres at 2001 East McComas Street, just off I-95. The Cruise Maryland Terminal occupies 18.7 acres of it and opened in 2006. In 2025 the port handled 413,639 cruise passengers, a top-ten year. Carnival Cruise Line signed a five-year agreement effective January 1, 2025, with a renewal option, and plans a two-ship homeport from fall 2027.
There is no freight here. The cruise terminal matters to a logistics manager for two reasons. First, ship provisioning and hotel supplies move to the pier on sailing days, which is a scheduled truck job. Second, embarkation traffic shares the McComas Street approach with any breakbulk truck headed to North Locust Point, so plan breakbulk pickups around sailing days.
North Locust Point: breakbulk and general cargo
North Locust Point is the MPA breakbulk and general cargo terminal on the peninsula. It shares the McComas Street address with the cruise terminal. The port’s breakbulk trade across its public terminals is forest products (rolled paper and wood pulp), steel coils, raw rubber and project pieces, and the public-terminal general cargo total reached about 11.1 million tons in 2025, the third-largest in the port’s history.
Dundalk Marine Terminal, across the harbor, is the larger breakbulk door, with the heavy-lift cranes and the sheds. The Dundalk page has the crane ratings. North Locust Point is the city-side alternative for cargo whose next stop is on the I-95 corridor south and west rather than the east side.
| Item | South Locust Point | North Locust Point |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | MPA | MPA |
| Size | About 80 acres, 18.7-acre cruise terminal | Breakbulk and general cargo yard |
| Cargo | Cruise passengers | Breakbulk, general cargo |
| Highway | Direct from I-95 | Direct from I-95 |
| Opened | Cruise terminal 2006 | Long-standing MPA terminal |
Domino Sugar: the refinery next door
The Domino Sugar refinery, owned by ASR Group, has operated on Locust Point since 1922. It refines more than 6 million pounds of sugar a day and moved to continuous operations in 2025 as ASR closed its Yonkers, New York plant. Raw cane sugar arrives by ship at the refinery’s own pier. That single plant is why the Port of Baltimore ranks No. 2 in the US for imported sugar.
For a food and beverage shipper, the refinery is also a signal. Refined sugar, bagged and bulk, leaves Locust Point by truck and rail every day, and the partner warehouses that serve that trade hold the food-grade practices a sugar, flour or ingredient importer needs. See warehousing for how the desk matches a product to a partner building.
Routing from Locust Point
Locust Point sits on the city side of the harbor at the mouth of the Fort McHenry Tunnel. That makes it the easiest terminal cluster to leave for Washington, DC (about 40 miles), the I-95 corridor south, and the I-70 corridor west. Moves to the east-side terminals at Seagirt, Dundalk and Sparrows Point go through the Fort McHenry Tunnel or the Harbor Tunnel. A breakbulk piece over 14 ft 6 in high or 11 ft wide cannot use either and loops I-695 west. The Key Bridge routing page has the detour figures.
Planning a breakbulk pickup at North Locust Point
- Confirm the terminal on the bill of lading. Breakbulk vessels call where the stevedore and the berth window fit. Do not assume Locust Point or Dundalk until the carrier confirms.
- Send dimensions and weights per piece. The trailer type and the permit depend on them.
- Book the crane or forklift at the delivery site. The terminal lifts the piece onto the truck. The receiver lifts it off.
- Hold a partner warehouse in reserve. Coils, pulp and project pieces that cannot deliver on discharge day go to a covered partner building.
- Avoid cruise sailing days for peak pickups. Passenger traffic shares the McComas Street approach.
How Baltimore 3PL uses this
The desk places Locust Point breakbulk with project cargo and breakbulk partners who hold the port credentials and the right trailers, and books drayage for the short hop to a partner yard when the piece needs to wait. Sugar, ingredients and other food-grade cargo go to warehousing partners vetted for that product.
What to send for a quote
- Commodity, piece count, and dimensions and weights per piece
- Vessel, carrier and the terminal named on the bill of lading
- Delivery address and whether the site has a crane or forklift
- Whether interim covered storage is needed and for how long
- Any food-grade, hazmat or over-dimensional requirement
Send it to the quote desk and you get the equipment, route and timeline within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01What is the difference between South and North Locust Point?
South Locust Point is about 80 acres and hosts the 18.7-acre Cruise Maryland Terminal, opened in 2006. North Locust Point is the MPA breakbulk and general cargo terminal. Both share the McComas Street address off I-95.
02Does cargo move through the cruise terminal?
No. South Locust Point is a passenger terminal. In 2025 it handled 413,639 cruise passengers, and Carnival signed a five-year homeport agreement effective January 1, 2025.
03What breakbulk cargo lands at Locust Point?
MPA lists North Locust Point for breakbulk and general cargo. The port’s breakbulk trade is forest products, steel, raw rubber and project pieces, with Dundalk as the larger breakbulk terminal.
04Why does Domino Sugar matter to a shipper?
The refinery has stood on Locust Point since 1922 and refines more than 6 million pounds a day. It is the reason Baltimore ranks No. 2 in the US for imported sugar, and it moved to continuous operations in 2025.
05How do trucks reach Locust Point?
Directly from I-95 on the city side of the harbor, next to the Fort McHenry Tunnel portal. Moves to Seagirt, Dundalk or Sparrows Point go through the tunnel or around I-895.