Port of Boston explained

Port of Boston
Country: United States
Location:Boston, Suffolk County, MA
Operated:Massachusetts Port Authority
(Massport)
Owner:Government of Massachusetts
Type:Natural/artificial
Sizewater:500acres
Leadershiptitle:Port Director
Leader:Lisa Wieland
Blankdetailstitle1:Draft depth
Blankdetails1:40 feet
Blankdetailstitle2:Air draft
Blankdetails2:Unrestricted
Website:]https://www.massport.com/ www.massport.com]

The Port of Boston (AMS Seaport Code: 0401,[1] UN/LOCODE: US BOS) is a major seaport located in Boston Harbor and adjacent to the City of Boston.[2] It is the largest port in Massachusetts and one of the principal ports on the East Coast of the United States.[3] [4]

The Port of Boston was historically important for the growth of the City of Boston, and was originally located in what is now the downtown area of the city, called Long Wharf. Land reclamation and conversion to other uses means that the downtown area no longer handles commercial traffic, although there is still considerable ferry and leisure usage at Long Wharf. Today the principal cargo handling facilities are located in the Boston neighborhoods of Charlestown, East Boston, and South Boston, and in the neighboring city of Everett. The Port of Boston has also been an entry point for many immigrants.[5]

Administration

See main article: Massachusetts Port Authority. The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) was created in 1956 by a special act of the Massachusetts General Court;[6] [7] however, the Authority was not enabled until 1959, due to delay in bond funding.[8] The Authority is an independent public authority, not a state agency. The Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation and Public Works serves as an ex-officio member of the board and the remaining six members are appointed by the governor to staggered seven year terms.[9] Its Board members must be residents of Massachusetts.[10] The Department of Homeland Security also has a presence with United States Customs and Border Protection officers. The port has three areas of activity: cargo, cruises and ferry service.

History

See also: Boston Harbor. Before the colonization of the Americas, the area served as a trading post for Native Americans in the region. After the establishment of the Boston settlement by John Winthrop in 1630 and the creation of a local shipbuilding industry, the port served the rapidly expanding American colonies. During that time, trade involved finished goods from England in exchange for lumber, fully constructed vessels, rum, and salted fish.

With the rapid growth of the Mid-Atlantic colonies in the 1750s, the ports of New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania began to surpass Boston for inter-colony trade. In response, Bostonian merchants established trade with foreign nations besides Great Britain. This trade led to a huge increase in wealth amongst local Bay State merchants. However, the British government's imposition of regulations restricting trade to Great Britain, combined with newly enacted taxes on the colonists, caused Bostonian merchants to join the more radical elements in American society. After the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed the Boston Port Act which shut down the port until the East India Company was compensated for the damaged tea These actions led to the American Revolutionary War.

Though economically devastated by the Revolutionary War, the Port of Boston was again prospering with trade with various foreign ports such as Shanghai. The port's fortunes were further augmented with a navy base at Charlestown. By the mid-19th century, the shipbuilding industry reached its peak as displayed by the clipper ships developed by Donald McKay. The port also saw many land reclamation projects and the construction of new piers.

With the start of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, activity in the port turned towards trade between the states. Starting in the mid-19th century, the Port of Boston was eclipsed yet again by other eastern seaboard ports such the Port of New York City as local merchant companies were bought out by New York businessmen. In 1956, control of the port was handed to the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), which began the process of modernizing the port. During the 1980s and 1990s, a project dedicated to the cleanup of Boston Harbor was overseen by the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA).

In 1966, Sea-Land introduced containerized shipping and later established one of the first container ports on Castle Island, where Conley Terminal now stands. To meet the growing demand for container shipping, Massport constructed a common-use container port on what is now Moran Terminal. However, the port faced a setback with the closure of the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1974.

In the mid-1990s, the port went through another round of modernization. Container shipping operations were consolidated at Conley Terminal while Moran Terminal was dedicated to automobile shipping. A project of dredging the harbor commenced in 1997. Through the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (Big Dig), ground access to the South Boston facilities were improved with the extension of I-90 and the construction of the Ted Williams Tunnel linking South Boston with East Boston and Logan International Airport. The port has also seen a burgeoning cruise industry as well as expanding commercial and residential developments on the Boston waterfront.

With the completed Panama Canal expansion project allowing larger ships starting in 2016, the United States Army Corps of Engineers is dredging harbor access routes starting in 2017, deepening them from 40 to 47 to 51 feet.[11] This will allow visits by container ships carrying up to 12,000 TEUs, up from 7000 TEUs, and reduce the amount of freight which is expected to be shipped to the Port of New York and New Jersey and trucked to Massachusetts. The project is estimated to cost $310 million and is paid for by the federal Water Resources Reform and Development Act (about two-thirds), Massport, and an additional allocation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.[12] New container cranes to support larger ships were installed in 2021. The first 12,000-TEU-class containership. Ever Fortune, arrived at Conley on January 16, 2022.[13]

List of collectors

Port facilities

Ground transportation

The Port of Boston has access to I-90, I-93, I-95, and U.S. 1, including a truck-only haul road.[14] Track 61 runs through the port, but is being used by the MBTA as a test track. There is public transit access via the MBTA Silver line SL2 route.

Massport facilities

The public facilities, operated by the Massport, are located in the neighborhoods of Charlestown, East Boston, and South Boston. These include:

In June 2021, the terminal received three new ship-to-shore container cranes built in China, including two that are 205 feet high.[27] In June 2022, the US Army Corps of Engineers completed[28] a $350 million dredging project that will allow post-Panamax ships to dock without waiting for high tide.[29] The CSX railroad's double-stack container terminal in Worcester is an hour and half drive from the terminal.[30] The improvements resulted in additional shipping routes tripling the number of ports that ship goods to and from Conley.[31] The state has proposed extending Track 61 to connect Conley to the national rail network, to eliminate this as a competitive disadvantage compared to other East Coast ports, however land for a container to rail terminal nearby would be difficult to find and present rail clearances won't allow double-stack operations.

Non-Massport facilities

The Port of Boston has facilities dedicated to bulk cargo, petroleum, and LNG shipment and storage. These are primarily located on the Mystic River, notably along the city of Everett waterfront as well as the Chelsea River area of East Boston, Chelsea, and Revere. The Chelsea River depots also contain facilities handling jet fuel for Logan International Airport. The Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant, whose 150adj=midNaNadj=mid egg-shaped sludge digesters are major landmarks, sends treated sludge across the harbor via a tunnel for further processing into fertilizer.

The US Coast Guard has a base in Boston,[33] and the sail frigate USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") is berthed at the former Charlestown Navy Yard, now part of the Boston National Historical Park. The park is also home to the USS Cassin Young, a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer and now a museum ship. The park's Drydock Number 1 was completed in 1833 and first used by the Constitution.[34] It is now used to overhaul historic ships, including Constitution in 1992 and Cassin Young in 2007. Two other pre-World War II-era dry docks in the harbor are still operational (as of 2014), including Dry Dock Number 3 — one of the largest dry docks on the U.S. East Coast — which regularly repairs ships for the Military Sealift Command. These are located at the former South Boston Naval Annex.

MBTA Boat, water taxis, and private ferries and small cruise boats also use docks at Rowes Wharf, Long Wharf, Boston Navy Yard, Logan International Airport, Hewitt's Cove in Hingham, Pemberton Point in Hull, and the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, and a number of small docks at destinations around the harbor.[35] The Boston Harborwalk provides public access to much of the harbor's edge.

Piers and wharves

Boston's port was historically served by many more wharves and pier facilities. Although Massport maintain the more notable ones, a handful of docking facilities in the Boston Harbor are maintained by private interests or other state agencies such as DCR. Further, some wharves have been converted to residential condominiums, or hotel accommodations.

The Port's current and former wharves include:[36]

Piers
Wharves

Foreign trade zone

Massport manages Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 27, which includes many privately owned and port-owned sites located throughout Suffolk County, Massachusetts.[39]

The following Sub Zones are a part of The Port of Boston FTZ No. 27:[40]

Traffic and statistics

In 2015, the port handled 237,000 container TEUs, 60,000 automobiles, and 121,000 metric tons of cement. Other major forms of cargo processed at the port include petroleum, liquefied natural gas (LNG), gypsum, and salt. There were 328,305 cruise ship passengers that year. Some 114 vessel calls are scheduled for the 2016 cruise season.[41]

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, there have been concerns about the security of LNG shipments within Boston Harbor, and increased fear of terrorism. Because of the location of the LNG terminal in the Mystic River, tankers traveling to and from the facility are forced to pass directly offshore of downtown Boston. During their voyage through the harbor, they are protected by a security zone that extends 2miles in front of the vessel, 1miles behind it, and more than half a mile on either side. This zone is enforced by escort vessels provided by the Coast Guard and State Police.[42] The Tobin Bridge is closed as the escort passes under it, and boating is forbidden within the security zone., there have been proposals to construct an offshore LNG facility on either Outer Brewster Island[43] in the Harbor, or further afield in the wider Massachusetts Bay.[44]

The MBTA operates commuter boats between Long Wharf and Rowes Wharf on the downtown Boston waterfront to Hingham, Hull, Quincy, and Logan Airport as well as inner harbor ferries between downtown Boston, Charlestown, and South Boston. Other fast passenger ferries operate to Provincetown and Salem. Several companies operate cruise ships on the harbor, whilst water taxis operate from various points on the downtown Boston waterfront, Logan Airport, Charlestown, East Boston, and South Boston.[45] Ferries are also provided for travel amongst the harbor islands.

There are occasionally marine accidents, as with a commuter ferry Massachusetts going from Boston's Rowes Wharf to Hull in June 2006.[46]

Port Police

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), which itself was constituted in 1956 maintains its own police force of POST certified and sworn law enforcement officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They work in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police—Troop F who also provide law enforcement services for Massport. Massport police officers also known as "Port Officers" are responsible for physical security and law enforcement at the marine terminals, Boston's Seaport District, East Boston parks and various other properties and lands owned by the authority. [47]

International seaports agreements

See also

References

Specific

  1. http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/ma/0401.xml Service Port-Boston
  2. https://www.worldportsource.com/ports/review/USA_MA_Port_of_Boston_88.php "Port of Boston"
  3. Web site: Port of Boston . admin. . 2010 . Ports.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20101125214451/https://ports.com/united-states/port-of-boston/ . 2010-11-25 . dead. June 23, 2011 .
  4. April 9, 2018 . Lauriat . George . Port of Boston continues remarkable run . March 18, 2020 . American Journal of Transportation . 667 . Port of Boston finds growth from its niche environs .
  5. Web site: Passenger Manifest (1848-1891) Contents . Staff writer . n.d. . Massachusetts (state) Archives . June 23, 2011 . Over one million immigrants came through the Port of Boston during this time period. . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20111012194120/http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcsrch/PassengerManifestSearchContents.html. October 12, 2011.
  6. https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/45773 Chapter 465 of the Acts of 1956.
  7. News: Pot Authority Effective Now, Herter To Name 7 Promptly . . . . June 21, 1956 . February 13, 2018 . newspapers.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180213195708/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17412447/pot_authority_effective_now_herter_to/ . February 13, 2018 .
  8. News: Port Bill Signed, Hailed As Tax Relief . . . . October 6, 1958 . February 13, 2018 . newspapers.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180213195727/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17412503/port_bill_signed_hailed_as_tax_relief/ . February 13, 2018 .
  9. https://www.massport.com/about-massport/about-massport/board-and-executive-staff/ Massport Board and Executive Staff
  10. Web site: FAQs . massport.com . February 13, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150810143742/https://www.massport.com/about-massport/resource-center/faqs . August 10, 2015 .
  11. News: Treffeisen . Beth . June 11, 2015 . The tricky work of guiding massive ships into Boston Harbor . dead. . https://web.archive.org/web/20150614002549/https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2015/06/11/the-tricky-work-guiding-tankers-into-boston-harbor/pUrp9LLaNOg1ity5Oh3XVP/story.html. 2015-06-14.
  12. Web site: Boston Harbor to get $310 million for dredging project - The Boston Globe. bostonglobe.com. 26 April 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160806023627/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/05/13/boston-harbor-get-million-for-dredging-project/xyVGRT0dDuOhG65rm4UB5H/story.html. 6 August 2016.
  13. News: Boston port served by the largest-ever cargo ship to visit the city. Jon. Chesto. The Boston Globe. January 16, 2022.
  14. https://www.ctps.org/bostonmpo/5_meetings_and_events/2_past/2011/pdfs/Freight%20Presentations/Haul%20Road%20Rail%20r1%20Corridor.pdf
  15. Web site: Flynn Cruiseport Boston FACT SHEET . massport.com . February 11, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180212142222/https://www.massport.com/media/2392/fcb-profile-sheet-may-2017-with-pictures.pdf . February 12, 2018 .
  16. Web site: Governor Baker Massport Officially Dedicate The Flynn Cruiseport Boston at The Black Falcon Terminal . massport.com . May 4, 2017 . February 11, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171024031922/https://massport.com/massport/media/newsroom/governor-baker-massport-officially-dedicate-the-flynn-cruiseport-boston-at-the-black-falcon-terminal/ . October 24, 2017 .
  17. Web site: Flynn Cruiseport Boston . massport.com . February 11, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180211131824/https://www.massport.com/cruiseport/ . February 11, 2018 .
  18. News: Getting up to cruising speed . Tom . Belden . . December 24, 2002 . February 11, 2018 . newspapers.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180212142059/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17370944/getting_up_to_cruising_speed/ . February 12, 2018 .
  19. News: Another Group of 28th Vets Home . . The Evening News . . August 4, 1945 . February 11, 2018 . newspapers.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180212142027/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17369174/another_group_of_28th_vets_home/ . February 12, 2018 .
  20. Web site: About the Port . massport.com . https://web.archive.org/web/19990830040741/https://www.massport.com/ports/about_histo.html . August 30, 1999 . Wayback Machine.
  21. News: Conley Terminal Finally Opens . . . . April 29, 1984 . February 11, 2018 . newspapers.com . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180212142136/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17370558/conley_terminal_finally_opens/ . February 12, 2018 .
  22. Web site: Conley Terminal Improvements, Dedicated Freight Corridor, and Buffer Open Space . massport.com . May 15, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131228031950/https://www.massport.com/media/2914/Conley_Terminal_Environmental_Notification_Form_Report.pdf . December 28, 2013 . Wayback Machine.
  23. News: Conley Container Terminal in South Boston receives $20 million in federal money for face lift. Alyssa. LukpatIn. November 12, 2019. The Boston Globe.
  24. Web site: Paul W. Conley Container Terminal.
  25. Web site: Containerized Cargo via the Port of Boston CY15-14 . massport.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20160707194102/http://massport.com/port-of-boston/about-port-of-boston/port-statistics/containerized-cargo-cy16-cy15/ . July 7, 2016 . Wayback Machine.
  26. News: More shippers on board after $850m expansion of Boston freight terminal. Jon Chesto. Boston Globe. September 29, 2022.
  27. News: Three new cargo cranes will let Massport handle much bigger container ships. Jon . Chesto. Boston Globe Staff. June 22, 2021.
  28. https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/08/22/major-milestone-reached-power-line-through-boston-harbor-gets-charged/oKTZ4wL2TlTyaY5u75CuEJ/story.html Major milestone is reached as power line through Boston Harbor gets charged up
  29. https://sponsored.bostonglobe.com/rocklandtrust/infrastructure-ports-harbors/ Bigger ships are presenting bigger business opportunities at Boston Harbor
  30. https://www.massport.com/media/uacjg0l2/portofboston-fact_sheet-april2022-updated-mw.pdf MassPort fact sheet
  31. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/29/business/more-shippers-board-after-850m-expansion-boston-freight-terminal/ More shippers on board after $850m expansion of Boston freight terminal
  32. Web site: The last of the seafaring life, at the Boston Fish Pier . 15 Feb 2020 . Hanna Krueger . The Boston Globe. June 23, 2021.
  33. Web site: USCG Base Boston, MA. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140410214652/http://www.uscg.mil/baseboston . 2014-04-10 .
  34. Web site: Archived copy . 2015-01-20 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150724070506/http://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/upload/NY%20Arch.pdf . 2015-07-24 .
  35. Web site: Water Transport . Massport . 2010 . November 9, 2010 . dead . http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20100805004755/http://www.massport.com/logan-airport/Pages/WaterTransport.aspx . August 5, 2010 .
  36. https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/files/cp1/CPB1_C11_WEB.pdf Boston Harbor and Approaches
  37. https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/sets/72157627078623503/with/8020565344/ Maritime: Fishing Industry – un set su Flickr
  38. City of Boston Archives. Lincoln Wharf, 1899
  39. http://www.massport.com/port-of-boston/about-port-of-boston/foreign-trade-zone/ Foreign Trade Zone
  40. Web site: List of Foreign-Trade Zones by State . International Trade Administration . August 9, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160113084141/http://ia.ita.doc.gov/ftzpage/letters/ftzlist-map.html . January 13, 2016 .
  41. Web site: MASSPORT - About the Port - Port Stats . Massachusetts Port Authority . June 9, 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160627193631/http://www.massport.com/port-of-boston/about-port-of-boston/port-statistics/ . June 27, 2016 .
  42. Web site: Mass.gov. Mass.gov. 26 April 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20111203112838/http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Homeland+Security+%26+Emergency+Response&L2=Response&L3=Emergency+Tactical+%26+Response+Teams&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=msp_units_msp_marine_section&csid=Eeops. 3 December 2011.
  43. https://books.google.com/books?id=5LB-hSGmNrUC&pg=PA141 The Park Under Attack
  44. News: Lewis, Richard C . April 9, 2005 . R.I. officials rap gas terminal expansion . The Boston Globe . May 10, 2005 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20050522143700/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/09/ri_officials_rap_gas_terminal_expansion/ . May 22, 2005 .
  45. Web site: MBTA Commuter and Excursion Boat Services . Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) . May 28, 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050524191918/http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_boats.asp . May 24, 2005.
  46. Web site: NTSB Marine Accident Brief - Fire On Board U.S. Small Passenger Vessel Massachusetts in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, June 12, 2006 . National Transportation Safety Board . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080517084808/https://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2007/MAB0701.htm . May 17, 2008 .
  47. Web site: Massport Police .
  48. Web site: Port of Boston Signs Sister Agreement With China's Port of Dalian . Staff writer . September 20, 2005 . MEDIA / NEWSROOM . Massachusetts Port Authority (MASSPORT) . Boston . March 19, 2020 . Officials from the Massachusetts Port Authority (MASSPORT) and the Port of Dalian Authority of the People’s Republic of China met in Boston today to sign an historic agreement, officially naming the ports of Boston and Dalian sister ports. .
  49. Web site: Panama Canal Authority Forms Strategic Alliance With Massachusetts Port Authority; Alliance Will Boost Trade between New England . Staff writer . October 17, 2003 . MEDIA / NEWSROOM . Massachusetts Port Authority (MASSPORT) . Boston . March 19, 2020 . With more than 60 percent of Panama Canal traffic originating from or traveling to the East Coast of the United States, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) today announced an historic move to boost trade by striking a strategic alliance with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). The alliance will increase cooperation - such as joint marketing - between the Panama Canal and the Port of Boston; it will also seek to boost trade along the "All-Water Route," the route from Asia to America's East Coast via the Panama Canal. .

General

  1. Banner, David. "The History of Boston, Massachusetts." BOSTON HISTORY. 1997-2005. May 8, 2005.
  2. Jourgensen, Thor (May 9, 2005). Council to review LNG line project. The Daily Item of Lynn. May 10, 2005.
  3. "Boston Harbor and Approaches." Coast Pilot 1 - 35th Edition, 2005. NOAA Office of Coast Survey. 35th Edition. May 15, 2005.
  4. Massport - About the Port: History. May 2005.
  5. Seaport Advisory Council - The Port of Boston. May 2005.
  6. Through the Eyes of a Mariner: Touring the Port of Boston. May 2005.
  7. "Port Industry Statistics." AAPA Online. May 16, 2005.

External links

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