Canton Stevedoring, which operates a state-owned pier at the North Locust Point Marine Terminal, makes most of its money handling boatloads of imported salt.

It has no idea if it’s about to lose that business — and a giant and growing competitor across the Patapsco River might be poised to swoop in.

The pier needs millions of dollars worth of repairs, and the lease that Canton Stevedoring has held since 2011 is set to expire at the end of the year. Senate President Bill Ferguson, Morton Salt, longshoremen and others have been lobbying Gov. Wes Moore to keep the pier open.

In March, the state began to study exactly how much it would cost to rehab the property, expecting to wrap up its analysis in May, according to emails from port officials obtained by The Banner in a public records request.

Four months later, the report still isn’t finished.

Moore’s office has not said what’s causing the delay and did not offer an updated timeline. Richard Scher, spokesperson for the Maryland Port Administration, said in a statement that the review of the pier includes “operational assessments and financial considerations.”

Hundreds of thousands of tons of salt — essential during severe winter weather — hang in the balance. The Port of Baltimore, which includes the piers at the North Locust Point Marine Terminal, ranks second in the U.S. for salt imports.

Reaching a new agreement with the state imminently is crucial to Canton Stevedoring’s business because ships are booked months in advance. Without a deal, the company has said it is unable to properly plan for the future.

“We’ve just been very frustrated by the lack of progress that we’ve been able to make extending this lease through the various administrations,” Tim Kassel, Canton Stevedoring’s executive vice president, said in an interview.

A potentially ominous sign for Canton Stevedoring: State officials have been brainstorming alternative uses of the pier.

In January emails, Maryland Port Administration officials suggested other possibilities, such as using the property to expand a nearby bulk liquid storage facility, “should we not be be able to use [the pier] for cargo after the upcoming inspection,” according to emails obtained in the records request.

Tradepoint on the rise

Morton Salt sends more than 400,000 tons of salt each year to the North Locust Point pier, which can be seen piled up near Fort McHenry.

Canton Stevedoring declined to share the value of its contract with Morton. But during a pier tour this summer with interns from the company’s bank, Canton Stevedoring owner Rex Wheeler was asked which type of cargo generates the most revenue for his company.

“Salt,” he replied. He also described reaching a lease deal with the state as his biggest concern.

If Canton Stevedoring isn’t able to operate the pier, there could be a salt shake-up, and a larger rival has seemingly raised its hand: Tradepoint Atlantic.

The rapidly growing logistics hub announced a $35 million investment this summer to boost its ability to receive more bulk products. In its news release, it specifically named “road salt.”

Aaron Tomarchio, Tradepoint’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, declined to say whether Tradepoint has had conversations with Morton. But he said increasing bulk commodities is one of its “primary areas of focus.”

The investment in a bulk cargo conveyance system is one of several moves that Tradepoint has made recently to boost its profile.

This week, Tradepoint announced a lease with a steel fabricator — returning that industry to the former site of Bethlehem Steel. Tradepoint is building a 200,000-square-foot factory for JD Fields HDM Spiralweld Mill, a steel piling manufacturer.

In July, it started work on a new facility to process imported high-end McLaren sports cars. And Tradepoint recently expanded to Howard County and has plans to add a massive new container terminal at Sparrows Point.

Tradepoint is within the Port of Baltimore, but is privately owned by Redwood Holdings. Maryland billionaire Jim Davis is the principal owner. He co-founded Allegis Group, a massive staffing firm, with his cousin Steve Bisciotti, owner of the Ravens.

Moore has touted the facility as one of the state’s economic drivers — and has been a fixture at its promotional events

“I tell you, I feel like every time we’re out here, we’re celebrating something new, man, this is a beautiful thing,” Moore said Tuesday at the steel fabricator event.

Locust Point decline

Meanwhile, North Locust Point is not the active industrial site it once was, and some of the finger piers there are in unusable condition. If the pier used by Canton Stevedoring were to close, it could take with it dozens of union jobs.

“We continue to evaluate all of our options to ensure the safety of every worker in our port community and to support our state’s small businesses,” Scher, the port spokesperson, said when asked what could happen to the pier.

In 2020, the Maryland Port Administration estimated the needed repairs to the facility would cost roughly $13 million. Canton Stevedoring pays the state $1.5 million annually to lease the pier.

The North Locust Point pier study cost about $400,000, port Executive Director Jonathan Daniels wrote in a February email obtained in the records request.

Maryland leaders and Canton Stevedoring have been trying for years to come up with a plan to address the pier’s poor condition, said William Doyle, the port’s executive director from 2020 to 2023.

If the state opts not to fund the needed repairs, it could potentially sell off the land. That would irk many port stakeholders.

“You know what happens when you sell port property?” said Doyle, who now heads a dredging organization. “It becomes condos. That’s it. It never goes back to industrial port property.”

The Abell Foundation published a study in 2009 examining the future of Baltimore’s industrial waterfront. In evaluating North Locust Point, the study’s authors found that redeveloping the shipping piers into housing or some other use would enable the city “to reap substantially greater rewards” in terms of tax revenue and job creation.

The North Locust Point pier is zoned for maritime industrial use and any redevelopment would need City Hall’s approval. The Abell study questioned whether the city would want to protect the site for industrial use without state investment in the property.

“Is it reasonable to expect the city to protect and preserve the parcel for maritime purposes and deprive itself of the superior benefits posed by the mixed use alternative that it is asked to prohibit?” the report asked.

Still, Kassel, of Canton Stevedoring, said he finds it hard to envision the state selling that land.

Its location near Interstate 95 at a spot that avoids harbor tunnel congestion makes it an ideal location for salt dispersal during winter months.

Plus, the state has touted the importance of the port.

“It would go against everything the Maryland Port Administration stands for,” Kassel said, “to be trying to walk away from any property.”