New container line welcomed to Port of Baltimore
A new shipping container line will be doing business in the Port of Baltimore, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said.
The Republican governor, who is entering the final months of his second term in office, announced Zim e-Commerce Baltimore Express will bring in goods from China and Southeast Asia. The company is one of the premier ocean carrier container companies in the world.
“In December, I met with Ellie Glickman, the CEO and president of ZIM, to encourage their business to move shipping through the state of Maryland,” Hogan said in the release. “Now, we are excited to announce that the ZIM e-Commerce Baltimore Express, or ZXB, will offer customers the fastest transit time from Asia to Baltimore guaranteed space and equipment and expedited rail, air, and road connections to inland destinations. Our port truly is open for business and today is the next exciting step forward.”
The company, operating in part with Israel-based ZIM Shipping Lines, will have biweekly service frequency to the port that will expand to weekly shipments in the next few months. ZXB will enhance e-commerce operations at the port, which features many regional distribution points, the release says.
The company has nearly 100 ships in its fleet with a global reach to the Transpacific, Cross Atlantic, Cross Suez, Intra-Asia, and Latin America shipping lanes, the release says. The state Department of Transportation’s Maryland Port Administration worked in concert with Ports America Chesapeake, in a public-private partnership, to secure the company’s expansion to The Charm City.
“We are proud and happy to mark the first arrival of our new ZXB line to Baltimore,” ZIM President and CEO Eli Glickman said in the release. “ZXB is part of a wider vision for ZIM – to provide efficient, fast and innovative logistic solutions to our customers, especially during a period of severe supply chain disruptions. The Port of Baltimore offers unique opportunities to make our vision a reality.”
The port recently welcomed a second 50-foot space and four Neo-Panamax container cranes in an effort to expand services and provide greater efficiency. Plus, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, which serves the Indian Subcontinent and Mediterranean service, recently began operations in the port, according to the release.
The port serves as the biggest e-commerce port and is one of the busiest in the country, the release says. The area has generated nearly 15,300 direct jobs with an additional 140,000 jobs that are directly related to port activity.
This article was originally posted on New container line welcomed to Port of Baltimore