The Port of Boston appears to be jumping on the infrastructure improvement bandwagon to move more freight into Massachusetts and neighboring New England states.
The 500-acre facility boasts expanding global services and improved terminal infrastructure designed to attract large ocean carriers. Following an $850 million investment, Boston saw its largest vessel dock earlier this year. The arrival of the supersized Ever Fortune spanned three football fields in length, 160 feet across, and carried upwards of 12,000 20-foot containers. Thousands of Northeast businesses rely on the region’s only full-service container gateway.
“It is a really exciting time to do business with the Port of Boston,” Lauren Gleason, deputy port director of business development for the Massachusetts Port Authority, reportedly said. “With our expanded Conley Terminal and even more worldwide container service links, the Port of Boston is providing an efficient and reliable value proposition, saving importers and exporters both time and money with dependable relief from global supply chain challenges.”
Improvements to infrastructure include a navigational project that recently entered its finals phase. Once complete by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Boston Harbor will run 47 feet deep with a turning perimeter spanning 1,725 feet. Mega-vessels carrying as many as 14,000 TEUs would reportedly be able to make port.
The Conley Terminal upgrades include three neo-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes with a lift capacity of more than 150 feet over a distance comparable to 22 containers. Each crane can move 29 to 35 containers per hour, greatly improving the Port of Boston’s import-export efficiency. The cranes are already reducing truck transportation wait times as volume ramps up. It’s also important to note that the infrastructure enhancements are not only geared to handle foreign products.
A refrigerated rack system recently became operational to store highly sought-after New England seafood. Lobsters, crab, and shellfish are temperature sensitive. The Massachusetts Port Authority is reportedly in the process of expanding Berth 10 and 11 with an additional 30 acres.
The investment continues to pay dividends as unique services provide direct networking opportunities with 15 European, Asian, and Latin American ports. A pair of services also link Boston with India, China, and Vietnam emerged as the third-largest container shipping partner of all the New England states.
The Mediterranean Shipping Co., which has docked at Conley Terminal since 1986, recently changed its logistics to route its Indus 2 service to Boston, after stops in Barcelona, Valencia, and Portugal. The move is expected to increase Boston’s wine and spirits imports.
Israel-based ZIM Integrated Shipping Services launched an expedited biweekly stop from Yantian, China, and Vietnam. The ZIM shipments typically move furniture, apparel, and footwear through the Suez Canal.
“Massport’s extensive investments in waterside and landside infrastructure are attracting a diverse array of global ocean container services and paying off in real savings of time and money for importers and exporters alike,” Gleason reportedly said.
Truck drivers can anticipate increased opportunities as the Port of Boston increases its global shipment position.
Sources: massport.com, usnews.com, freightwaves.com
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