Business

Just hours before high tide, when officials planned to start refloating the enormous container ship that toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge and restricted maritime traffic for two months, the longshoremen of Local 333 were dancing to vintage Jackson 5 tunes and slurping water ice. Eight weeks of angst had ended, and it might as well finish with a party. The longshoremen were going back to work, at long last.

Royal Caribbean and Carnival are getting ready to sail out of the Port of Baltimore as the first cruise departures from the port since the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Port of Baltimore announced that Vision of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean, will embark on a five-night voyage on May 25 from Baltimore to Bermuda.

Under Armour is preparing to layoff an unspecified number of employees following a drop in sales in North America, the Baltimore-based company’s largest market. The company’s overall revenues were down 5% to $1.3 billion for the fiscal year ending in 2024. Under Armour expects to spend $70 to $90 million as it restructures operations and finances.

One of Maryland’s most prolific developers confirmed it will break ground in 2025 on Viva White Oak, a multibillion-dollar project next to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring that’s languished for more than a decade. We reported in January that Baltimore-based MCB Real Estate was taking up the torch for the stalled project, and that it was anticipated to break ground in the latter half of next year, citing County Executive Marc Elrich’s budget proposal at the time.

Royal Caribbean International is bringing its cruises back to the Port of Baltimore this month in anticipation that crews will re-open a channel blocked since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March. The cruise line’s Vision of the Seas will leave the Cruise Maryland Terminal on May 25 for a five-night trip to Bermuda, the Port of Baltimore said Wednesday.

Maryland entertainment venues applauded state leaders last week when Gov. Wes Moore signed into law a first-in-the-nation bill to protect consumers from ticket scams. The legislation, which will take effect July 1, 2024, will outlaw speculative tickets and hold ticketing platforms accountable for the validity of the tickets they sell. It is considered a victory for consumers, Maryland concert venues, artists and musicians.

A company with a Port of Baltimore terminal that handle key materials for steel production will be joining the shipping network of a Louisiana cargo and logistics company. Pittsburgh-based S.H. Bell Co. was acquired by the ownership group of Convent, Louisiana-based Associated Terminals on May 8, and will join the Southern company’s shipping and handling network.