Biden, accompanied by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and several members of Congress, presented a $10m federal grant to the Port of Baltimore to widen its shipping channel and improve rail access.

"More than ever, we are a maritime nation," the vice president said, also flanked by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and the state's two Democratic U.S. senators, Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin.

Baltimore and Norfolk, Va., are the only two East Coast ports that are deep enough for the larger, "post-Panamax" ships, and others may have to catch up. "Post-Panamax" refers to ships larger than the current maximum size limits for the Panama Canal.

"Unless we expand ports on the East Coast, we're going to fall behind," Biden said, referencing U.S. rival China, which has spent heavily on infrastructure.

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