Gov. Wes Moore has once again failed to secure a significant opportunity for the workers of the Baltimore area and the taxpayers of his state. Just last Friday the following headline was published in Defense News: “Saronic picks Brownsville, Texas, for $3 billion Port Alpha shipyard”
The article refers to the maker of remotely piloted small craft – the type that were recently used to rescue two downed pilots in the Persian Gulf and to blow up the submarine repair facilities along the coast of Iran. Saronic is set to build Port Alpha, a shipyard the company describes as the most advanced in the world, at the Port of Brownsville, Texas. Was Maryland, specifically the Port of Baltimore, even considered for this opportunity?
Remember that Baltimore shipbuilding played a significant role in providing Liberty Ships throughout World War II because it had steel mills and water – the kind of water that you need to float ships. Today the steel mills are gone but the water remains and surrounding the water is lots of vacant land where the steel mills once stood. In the area known as Trade Point Atlantic there is currently an estimated 3,300 acres of land available for development…