Tradepoint Atlantic and Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) held a groundbreaking ceremony May 1 for the Sparrows Point Container Terminal, a 168-acre container terminal and on-dock rail facility planned for the former site of Bethlehem Steel, located southeast of Baltimore near where the Patapsco River meets Chesapeake Bay.
Bethlehem Steel’s Sparrows Point facility operated for 125 years, dating back to 1887, before closing in 2012. Redwood Holdings — the same company that also owns Canal Barge Co. and Marquette Transportation — acquired the site in 2014. Then, in 2022, a joint venture under the name Sparrows Point Container Terminal was announced between Tradepoint Atlantic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Redwood Holdings, and Terminal Investment Limited, a terminal development company owned by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
The May 1 groundbreaking for the $1.2 billion terminal came less than five months after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the permitting for the project.
“This groundbreaking marks one of the most significant moments in the history of this site and for the Port of Baltimore,” said Kerry Doyle, managing director of Tradepoint Atlantic. “Our partnership with TiL is a transformational investment in Maryland’s economy and Baltimore’s future. The Sparrows Point Container Terminal will position the port as a true global gateway and economic engine, making Maryland strategically significant and globally competitive for decades to come.”
Sparrows Point will boost Baltimore’s container-handling capacity by 70 percent, and the terminal will allow for direct ship-to-rail cargo handling. According to Tradepoint Atlantic, the terminal’s on-dock rail service and ability to double stack rail cars will make Sparrows Point a gateway not only to the East Coast but also to the Midwest. The terminal will have a throughput capacity of more than 1 million containers and, with its seven ship-to-shore cranes, will be able to service two ultra-large container vessels at a time.
“Our commitment to Baltimore and the state of Maryland reflects our confidence in this market and our belief that this terminal will be a critical driver of economic growth and opportunity for the region and the broader East Coast,” said Ammar Kanaan, CEO of Terminal Investment Limited. “Furthermore, with the help of our majority shareholder MSC, we expect Baltimore to become the cargo gateway for not just Maryland but the entire Midwest.”
The groundbreaking attracted a huge lineup of government officials, including Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel, who highlighted a nearly $40 million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant for the project, local and state elected officials, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who highlighted the team mentality that’s shaping Maryland’s maritime future.
“Progress doesn’t just happen, progress is made to happen,” Moore said. “From our response to the Key Bridge collapse two years ago to the recovery that continues to this day, Team Maryland and our federal partners are showing what it looks like to deliver progress through partnership. Today at Sparrows Point, we mark the next chapter in the Port of Baltimore’s success story — for our workers, for our state, and for our nation."
According to the latest construction timeline on the Sparrows Point Container Terminal website, work on the project in 2026 will include mobilizing the wharf contractor, conducting the first dredge cycle at the site, and completing construction of a dredged material containment facility at the site. Year 2 will consist of additional dredging and construction. Berth 1 will come online in the third quarter of 2028, with the north yard complete in the first half of the year and the south yard complete in the fourth quarter. Berth 2 is planned to come online in 2029.
Sparrows Point is just a small part of Tradepoint Atlantic’s 3,300-acre multimodal logistics and industrial center in the Baltimore region. Besides Sparrows Point, Terminal Investment Limited manages a portfolio of 108 terminals around the world, including facilities at Newark, N.J., Los Angeles/Long Beach, Calif., Houston, New Orleans, Seattle, and Port Everglades in Florida.
