Every container that crosses a Port of Baltimore berth today crosses it at Seagirt Marine Terminal. In 2025 the terminal handled 1,113,309 TEU, a record, on 15 weekly container services. For a logistics manager who has never seen Baltimore, this is the terminal to learn first.
Who runs it
The Maryland Port Administration owns Seagirt. Ports America Chesapeake operates it under a 50-year public-private partnership signed in 2010. The terminal opened in 1990 at 2700 Broening Highway on the east side of the harbor, next to Dundalk Marine Terminal. Ports America has committed about $500 million of investment inside a $1.3 billion overall agreement.
Berths and depth
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Land | 320 acres of terminal plus 17 acres of warehouse property in Canton |
| Berths | 4 |
| Depth | 1,377 ft of berth at 45 ft and 2,975 ft of berth at 50 ft |
| Largest ships | Two 14,000 TEU vessels worked at the same time |
| Annual capacity | 1.5 million TEU |
| Reefer plugs | 350 |
The second 50 ft berth was dredged in 2021. Ports America describes Baltimore as one of only four US East Coast ports with 50 ft depth, which is why the largest Atlantic services call here. The federal channel is 50 ft deep and 700 ft wide, and it reopened in full on June 10, 2024, eleven weeks after the Key Bridge collapse.
Cranes and yard equipment
| Equipment | Count | Reach |
|---|---|---|
| Sumitomo Neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes | 4 | 18 containers wide |
| ZPMC Super Neo-Panamax cranes | 4 | 22 containers wide |
| ZPMC Super Neo-Panamax cranes | 4 | 24 containers wide |
| Rubber-tired gantry cranes | 22 | Yard |
| Hybrid electric RTGs | 15 | Yard |
Twelve ship-to-shore cranes in total. Ports America reports 37 net crane moves an hour, which decides how fast a vessel clears and how soon your container becomes available.
On-dock rail
The CSX intermodal container transfer facility sits on the terminal, within 1,000 ft of the bulkhead. That matters since June 22, 2026, when CSX opened double-stack service through the rebuilt Howard Street Tunnel. A container can move from ship to a double-stack train to Chicago, Columbus or Pittsburgh without a truck. The MPA expects the clearance to add about 160,000 containers a year over time. Read what changed for importers before you price a Midwest lane.
Highway access runs to I-95, I-895, I-83, I-70, I-81 and I-97. Washington, DC is about 40 road miles, Philadelphia about 105 and Chicago about 700.
Grain transload at Seagirt
A new grain transloading facility opened at Seagirt in 2026. It covers 4 acres with 3 silos holding 60,000 bushels, loads 200 or more export containers a week, and has short-line rail access to both CSX and Norfolk Southern. Ports America Chesapeake operates it exclusively for Frey Commodities. For a grain exporter it means truck-to-container stuffing at the berth instead of at an inland site.
Truck turn times and gates
Ports America publishes turn times under 30 minutes for a single transaction and under 60 minutes for a double (drop an empty, pull a load). Those are averages. Vessel bunching, holidays and weather stretch them.
Gate hours vary. Ports America Chesapeake sets them and changes them with vessel schedules and holidays. Confirm the current schedule with the operator on dispatch day. Drivers need a TWIC card to enter the terminal.
How to plan drayage out of Seagirt
- Count free time from discharge, not arrival. Demurrage starts when the carrier’s free days run out on the terminal. Know the number before the vessel docks. The drayage and demurrage guide explains the clock.
- Book the chassis with the truck. Chassis supply is the step that most often slips. Confirm who provides it.
- Decide the destination side of the harbor. Seagirt sits on the east side with Dundalk and Sparrows Point. A transload or warehouse on the east side never crosses a tunnel. A delivery to the south side, Anne Arundel County or BWI crosses the I-95 or I-895 tunnel. Hazmat and over-dimensional loads cannot use either and loop I-695 west, about 30 to 35 extra miles. See the Key Bridge routing page.
- Flag overweight boxes early. Overweight containers need a permit and the right chassis. Both take lead time.
- Pick rail for Midwest lanes. With double-stack live, compare the on-dock rail rate against truck for anything past Pittsburgh.
How Baltimore 3PL uses this
Our drayage partners work the Seagirt gate every day, and the desk confirms gate hours, free time and chassis before dispatch. For 40 ft import boxes we route to a transload partner on the east side, then reload into 53 ft trailers. For Midwest freight we book intermodal rail off the on-dock CSX yard.
What to send for a quote
- Container numbers, sizes and count, with the ocean carrier and vessel
- Free time on the bill of lading and the expected discharge date
- Delivery address, and whether it is on the east side, the south side or beyond the harbor
- Gross weight per container and any hazmat class
- Whether you want transload to 53 ft trailers, rail to the Midwest or storage near the port
Send it to the quote desk and you have a routed plan within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01Who operates Seagirt Marine Terminal?
Ports America Chesapeake operates Seagirt under a 50-year public-private partnership with the Maryland Port Administration signed in 2010. The MPA still owns the land and berths.
02What are the Seagirt gate hours?
Gate hours change with vessel schedules and holidays, so we do not print them. Confirm the current schedule with Ports America Chesapeake before you dispatch, or let the desk confirm it for you.
03How long does a truck turn take at Seagirt?
Ports America reports turn times under 30 minutes for a single move and under 60 minutes for a double move. Peak days and vessel bunching stretch those numbers.
04Can a container go straight from Seagirt to rail?
Yes. The CSX intermodal yard sits on the terminal within 1,000 ft of the bulkhead. Since June 2026 CSX runs double-stack trains from Seagirt to the Midwest.
05Does Seagirt handle anything other than containers?
Only containers, plus the new grain transload facility that stuffs export grain into containers on site. Autos, ro-ro and breakbulk go to Dundalk next door.