On May 1, 2026 Tradepoint Atlantic and Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), the terminal operator affiliated with MSC, broke ground on the Sparrows Point Container Terminal (SPCT). It is the first new container terminal in the Port of Baltimore in a generation: 168 acres, about $1.2 billion of private finance, on-dock rail, two berths for ultra-large container vessels and seven ship-to-shore cranes. The first berth is planned for 2028 and full build-out for 2030, with capacity for more than 1 million containers a year.
That is two years away. An importer who waits until the first vessel call to change anything will spend 2028 reacting. This page is the planning view.
The site
Tradepoint Atlantic is the 3,300-acre former Bethlehem Steel site at Sparrows Point in eastern Baltimore County. Host Terminals runs its marine operations under a ten-year agreement. The site already holds Amazon, FedEx Ground, Under Armour, Home Depot, Floor & Decor, Harley-Davidson and Atlantic Forest Products, plus Volkswagen Group’s 115-acre vehicle operation and Pasha Automotive. Tradepoint says it has developed and leased more than 15 million square feet. On October 6, 2026 Anduril announced a $3.7 billion submarine-component shipyard there with about 3,100 direct jobs.
The entire site sits inside Foreign Trade Zone No. 74. That is the detail that changes the economics for an importer, and the FTZ 74 guide explains how.
What is being built
| Item | Plan |
|---|---|
| Terminal area | 168 acres |
| Investment | About $1.2 billion, privately financed |
| Berths | Two, sized for ultra-large container vessels |
| Cranes | Seven ship-to-shore |
| Rail | On-dock |
| Capacity | More than 1 million containers a year |
| Permit | US Army Corps of Engineers, January 2026 |
| Groundbreaking | May 1, 2026 |
| First berth | 2028 |
| Full build | 2030 |
Published reporting puts the capacity gain at about 70 percent over the port’s current container capacity, and says MSC is expected to move its Baltimore business from Seagirt to SPCT.
What changes for a shipper in 2028
A second gate. Today every Baltimore container clears the Seagirt gate on Broening Highway. From 2028 an MSC box will clear a gate at Sparrows Point, a few miles east on the same side of the harbor. The drayage partner, the chassis arrangement and the turn-time pattern will all be new.
A warehouse next to the berth. A partner warehouse on the Tradepoint site can receive a container without leaving the property. That is a short drayage move with no public road exposure, inside an FTZ.
Rail from both terminals. SPCT brings on-dock rail. Seagirt already has the CSX yard with double-stack clearance to the Midwest since June 2026. The double-stack page explains the lanes.
A carrier split. Non-MSC services stay at Seagirt. An importer who books across carriers will have containers at two terminals on the same day. That is a routine thing for a desk that works both gates and a headache for a shipper who does not.
What importers should do now
- Map your carrier mix. List which of your ocean contracts run on MSC and which do not. That tells you how much volume moves gates in 2028.
- Decide where your inventory should sit. If most of your volume is MSC and your customers are on the I-95 corridor, a partner warehouse on the east side near Sparrows Point beats one near BWI. If your volume is split, Dundalk and the Holabird corridor sit between both gates.
- Run the FTZ math. Tradepoint is inside FTZ 74 and Alternative Site Framework activation at a warehouse there runs in a matter of weeks. If you pay duty on a steady import program, read the duty deferral comparison now, not in 2028.
- Price the rail option. For Midwest customers, compare on-dock rail from either terminal against truck.
- Keep a tunnel plan. Sparrows Point to the south side or BWI crosses the harbor tunnels, and hazmat or over-height loads loop I-695 west until the Key Bridge reopens in late 2030.
How Baltimore 3PL uses this
The desk already places freight with drayage and transloading partners on the east side between Seagirt, Dundalk and Sparrows Point, so a second gate is a dispatch change, not a new network. For importers who want the FTZ benefit ahead of 2028, we coordinate FTZ and bonded warehouse partners inside the zone, and intermodal rail for the Midwest.
What to send for a quote
- Annual container volume by ocean carrier, with the share on MSC services
- Customer delivery zones (I-95 north, DC and Virginia, Midwest, local)
- Current duty spend and whether goods are re-exported or sold domestically
- Preferred inventory location, or let the desk propose east side versus BWI corridor
- Target date for a 2028-ready plan
Send it to the quote desk and you get a two-terminal routing plan within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01When does Sparrows Point Container Terminal open?
The first berth is planned for 2028 and the full build for 2030. Groundbreaking was May 1, 2026, after the US Army Corps of Engineers permit in January 2026.
02Who is building and operating it?
Tradepoint Atlantic, the owner of the 3,300-acre former Bethlehem Steel site, with Terminal Investment Limited (TiL), the terminal operator affiliated with MSC. The project is about $1.2 billion of private finance.
03Will MSC leave Seagirt?
Public reporting says MSC is expected to move its Baltimore business from Seagirt to the new terminal. Shippers on MSC services should plan for a different gate and a different side of the harbor from 2028.
04Is the terminal inside Foreign Trade Zone 74?
Yes. The whole Tradepoint Atlantic site sits inside FTZ No. 74, so a warehouse next to the terminal can be activated as an FTZ site without the cargo leaving the zone’s service area.
05How big is it compared with Seagirt?
Seagirt has capacity for 1.5 million TEU a year. SPCT is planned at more than 1 million containers a year with two ultra-large vessel berths and seven ship-to-shore cranes, which adds about 70 percent to port container capacity.
06Does the Key Bridge closure affect Sparrows Point?
Sparrows Point sits on the east side with Seagirt and Dundalk, so moves between them never needed the bridge. Moves to the south side or BWI use the harbor tunnels, and hazmat or over-height loads loop I-695 west until the bridge reopens in late 2030.