Sparrows Point Container Terminal releases dredging report findings

Sparrows Point Container Terminal (SPCT), a subsidiary of Tradepoint Atlantic, has released a report confirming that dredged material from the southern Sparrows Point Channel meets ocean placement requirements under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act. The report is part of a sampling and testing programme approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Announced in 2022, SPCT is a joint effort from TPA and MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) to develop a new container terminal within the Port of Baltimore. Once complete, the container terminal is projected to create over 8,000 direct and port affiliated jobs, and position the Port of Baltimore as the third largest on the East Coast.

The Sparrows Point redevelopment project has been in the works since 2018, when Tradepoint Atlantic acquired 3,300 acres of land, including the former Bethlehem Steel plant, Coke Point, and a shipyard on Sparrows Point in Maryland. In partnership with Baltimore County, Tradepoint has since devised a plan to transform the site into a multi-modal logistics hub. The terminal will include a 3,000-foot wharf with cranes, a container yard, a gate complex, an intermodal/rail yard and various supporting structures. It will integrate ship-to-shore power and electrified equipment to reduce port-related carbon emissions, SPCT said.

Dredging

However, to provide vessel access to the wharf, the project would require the Sparrows Point Channel to be widened and deepened to -50 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) (the lowest of the two low tides per day ) to match the depth of the Brewerton Channel. The channel improvements would result in an estimated 4.2 million cubic yards of material to be dredged to accommodate the new dimensions needed in the channel for safe passage of ultra large container ships.

Earlier this year, SPCT, in collaboration with EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC conducted an extensive survey to assess whether sediments in the South Channel segment of the Sparrows Point Channel were suitable for ocean placement. The results of the survey indicated that 1.57 million cubic yards of material (over one-third of the total dredged volume required for the container terminal) meet the MPRSA criteria for ocean placement.

According to SCPT, ocean placement is one of several options for dredged material placement that is under review.  If selected as a preferred option, the USEPA must issue a formal concurrence that the material meets the Section 103 MPRSA requirements, and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) must issue a Section 103 permit prior to transport and placement of the material at the Norfolk Ocean Disposal Site (NODS), a USEPA designated facility. NODS is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 17 miles east of Cape Henry and is approximately 50 square nautical miles in size. The site has unlimited capacity and is designated to provide capacity for long-term management of dredged material.

“The results of this extensive survey represent a significant milestone for the Sparrows Point Container Terminal Project and help confirm our understanding around sediment in this portion of the channel,” said Pete Haid, Senior Vice President of Environmental Compliance at Tradepoint Atlantic. “We continue to be fully committed that this project be conducted in the most community conscious, transparent, and environmentally responsible way possible.”

SPCT conducted sampling and testing for the North Channel segment of the Sparrows Point Channel and will release the results for public review once finalised. Additionally, the company continues to explore alternative placement sites for dredged material as part of the NEPA process for the project.