By Seth Daniel
Dredging the channels last Friday. Materials from the floor of the Harbor will be buried in closed containers off the coast of Charlestown.
Larger vessels increasingly dominate global maritime commerce, requiring deeper channels at facilities such as Boston Harbor and Chelsea Creek to remain competitive.
This imperative became reality when state, federal and local authorities unveiled a $350 million initiative on Friday, Sept. 15. The undertaking marks the Harbor’s first dredging effort in approximately two decades and will deepen portions of the waterway. Work will span from the outer Harbor through the Mystic River and into Chelsea Creek.
An AutoPort ceremony held just beyond the Mystic/Tobin Bridge in Charlestown served as the venue for this announcement.
“Investments we make today into the Port of Boston and the Conley Container Terminal are essential for New England to remain an important player in the global economy for years to come,” declared Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “We are grateful to our state and federal partners, under the strong leadership of Governor Charlie Baker, Senators Warren and Markey and Congressman Lynch, for continuing to support the Port, help modernize Conley’s facilities and allow the Harbor to handle even larger ships.”
According to State Sen. Sal DiDomenico, the three year project is essential for accommodating the larger vessels seeking access to Boston’s port facilities. DiDomenico emphasized that the initiative will reinforce Boston’s standing as a leading East Coast port while safeguarding and expanding employment and economic vitality along the waterfront. “This project will allow Boston to continue it’s leadership position on the east coast for containers ships visiting our ports,” he stated. “Every part of my district is impacted by the economic success of our ports and dredging the Boston Harbor will allow us to continue our competitive advantage on the eastern seaboard.”
Supporting expansion at South Boston’s Conley Container Terminal, which has posted three consecutive years of record volume, the $350 million state and federal endeavor will proceed in multiple phases.
“Deepening Boston Harbor and supporting infrastructure investments at Conley Container Terminal are crucial to Massachusetts and New England’s competitiveness in the global marketplace,” remarked Governor Charlie Baker. “We are proud to work with our state and federal partners toward these improvements, supporting billions in economic activity and over 1,600 businesses creating thousands of local jobs.”
Deepening the outer harbor, main shipping channel and reserved channel will accommodate larger container vessels now serving Conley Container Terminal following Panama Canal expansion. The inner harbor maintenance component preserves capacity for delivering home heating oil, automobiles, jet fuel, and salt through Chelsea Creek and Mystic River terminals. Competing East Coast ports are similarly upgrading infrastructure for larger ships.
Funding totals approximately $350 million, comprising $130 million from Massport and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts alongside $220 million in federal resources—$18.2 million from USACE’s FY 2017 workplan and $58 million in the President’s FY’18 budget. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock holds the contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for execution.
Phase one encompasses maintenance dredging and construction of a Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) Cell positioned offshore at the AutoPort in Charlestown, designed to contain harbor-floor sediment safely. This phase will extend through year-end.
Mid-2018 marks the commencement of phase two, which will expand the Outer Harbor Channel from 40 to 51 feet, the Main Shipping Channel from 40 to 47 feet, and the Reserve Channel housing Conley Container Terminal from 40 to 47 feet. Conley’s current capacity of 8,500 TEU vessels will increase to 12,000 TEU capacity upon completion.