Cargo operations will center on the International Terminal. Passenger ships to sail from downtown docks. By Jack Reynolds
A major reshuffling of Portland's cargo and passenger terminals is planned by the Portland Department of Transportation. In a meeting with ship captains and engineers of the Portland Marine Society, Director, Jeffrey W. Monroe explained his department's five-year Strategic Plan for the port. Passenger operations will shift to a new terminal at downtown Portland's Bath Iron Works shipyard site, freeing up the International Terminal for container ships. A new container crane will be installed there before the end of the year. Bulk cargoes will continue to be shipped through the Merrill Marine Terminal.
Another Strategic Plan priority is a multimodal transportation center at the Concord Trailways Terminal on Thompsons Point. The new terminal will tie in all of the city's transportation lines and provide parking for waterfront passenger operations. A connector fleet of busses on a 12-minute schedule will shuttle passengers to the Old Port. Monroe noted that the new terminal will mirror old Union Station, but will probably include more brick and glass.
Monroe stressed that the port of Portland is a major seaport and a big contributor to the state's economic base. It rivals Boston as New England's second largest port. Its burgeoning cruise ship schedule already is stressing the port's present capacity.
"Compared to Boston, we are not as little as you may think," Monroe pointed out. "Last year Portland handled 13.1 million tons of cargo compared to Boston's 15.1 million tons. Sixty thousand more passengers passed through the Port of Portland than through Boston."
The Portland Strategic Plan calls for moving the Scotia Prince and other cruise ships from the International Terminal to a new passenger facility planned for the BIW shipyard site. Activities and structures at the new facility will conform to its maritime character.
"The cruise ship trade is important to the city's economy," Monroe explained. "Each passenger has a "head value" of $200 in money spent ashore. Last year this amounted to $34 million. At present, the Scotia Prince carries about 152,000 passengers a year. We value the Scotia Prince and plan to do all we can to push up that number."
Although BIW's option runs out on December 31, 2001, Munroe feels that the yard will not exercise its option to buy the site. He added that the BIW Bath yard is maxed out and that there is a possibility that the company will continue to fit out ships in a portion of the Portland site. During the summer Monroe plans to dock at least two passenger vessels at the BIW dock to check on how things work out.
"The BIW site lends itself well to passenger operations," he said. "It's deep water --- easy in, easy out for larger passenger ships. Shoreside docking will be a big improvement over the present system of anchoring out in Casco Bay. Getting a thousand passengers ashore via water shuttle is costly and inconvenient."
When passenger traffic moves out of the International Terminal a planned expansion will support container and roll/on, roll/off cargo operations. Also in the works is a connector from Commercial St. to I-295 and reactivation of the portside railroad spur.
"Last year 12,500 containers moved out of the state." Monroe said. "Only 12% of them moved through the port. We intend to speak to all 141 companies that ship containers about the advantages of using the port. We will continue to build up the port and keep the cargo moving."
The fishing industry remains a big concern. Monroe noted that the Portland Fish Exchange needs 20 million pounds a year to break even. Presently they are running at 17 million pounds. He said that keeping the Exchange going along with cold storage and other support operations is a Department of Transportation priority.
"We can't put more ground fish in the ocean," he said, "but we will do everything possible short of that to keep the industry alive until things get better. Revenues from a healthy container cargo and passenger business will help the fishing industry survive until better times."