BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Nearly two years after the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Port of Baltimore is still in recovery mode while hitting some records.
In 2025, the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore handled roughly 50 million tons of cargo at both the private and public marine terminals. That marked the second-best year for the port after significant slump in 2024 following the Key Bridge collapse. The cargo was valued at $65.6 billion, which was the third-highest value in port history.
“We are pleased with our year in 2025, but we have bigger things to come,” said Jonathan Daniels, Maryland Port Administration Executive Director.
The Maryland Port Administration manages the public terminals. Daniels said the Port of Baltimore remains the country’s top roll on/roll off location, handling more than 887,000 tons of farm and construction equipment in 2025; a 6% increase over 2024 and the highest among all U.S. ports.
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In addition to setting records in 2025 for container and total cargo ship visits, the Port of Baltimore was second for exported coal and imported aluminum, gypsum, salt, and sugar. The port handled more than 728,000 autos and light trucks, putting Baltimore second in the country and marked the 13th consecutive year handling more than 700,000 autos and light trucks.
Tariffs may have played a role in the fewer vehicles flowing through the Port of Baltimore in 2025 than in 2023, Daniels explained to reporters. Given the uncertainty of the environment, he said it was likely a “combination of a lot of things.”
In speaking with various companies, Daniels said there was a significant level of indecision about where to manufacture vehicles when dealing with tariffs.
“That was something that was felt not just in Baltimore,” he said. “The industry as a whole suffered because of the tariff programs and not knowing ultimately where to produce those vehicles it is something that we are looking to rectify.”
Meanwhile, the push continues to rebuild the Key Bridge. The latest cost estimate from the Maryland Transportation Authority ballooned to between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, which is more than double the original estimate of just under $2 billion. The MDTA also noted the completion date is no late 2030, two years later than the original estimate.
Katie Thomson, secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, said the state is at about 70% for the design phase for the Key Bridge.
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While Congress approved to cover the cost of the rebuild effort, the funding has become somewhat of a political football. President Donald Trump has toyed with the idea of withholding some of the funding, and in late 2025, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Gov. Wes Moore a letter outlining concerns with the price and other contracting practices.
Moore later met with Duffy and so far, the funding has yet to be pulled. Thomson said Maryland officials continue to have a dialogue with federal agencies about the rebuild effort, and noted Maryland has “skin in the game” given insurance proceeds recovered so far have been applied to the bridge.
“We will never take our eye off the ball,” Thomson said. “I am not concerned about the federal government paying what it is obligated to pay.”
The Port of Baltimore is responsible for an annual economic value of $70 billion and more than 273,000 jobs in Maryland are tied to the port, according to Gov. Moore.
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