Infrastructure

Transportation > Seaports

The state of Maine has three strategically located major seaports in Portland, Searsport and Eastport. Growth at these ports has averaged 3.0% annually over the last 10 years. This growth is reflective of Maine’s significant investment in ports during this time period as well as the high productivity and low labor costs of Maine’s ports. All of these ports are open year-round, are ice-free, and have deep-water channels and berthing.

The Port of Portland offers:

11 terminals; Seven terminals that handle petroleum cargo ranging from crude oil to jet fuel; three terminals that handle bulk cargo; one terminal that handles breakbulk cargo; one terminal that services a container feeder service to Halifax, Nova Scotia; two terminals that are engaged in marine heavy construction activity; two terminals that provide service to ferry operations, one terminal that serves the commercial fishing operations; and two terminals that service cruise ships.
There is direct rail transfer at dockside for bulk, breakbulk, and some petroleum operations. There are also two pipelines, one that transfers crude oil to a refinery in Montreal, and one that carries refined products to central Maine.Approach channel depths in Portland are in the range of -35’ MLLW for the inner harbor and -45’ MLLW for the outer harbor. Berth Depths range from -30’ MLLW to -49’MLLW. The port experiences a 10-foot mean tidal range.

Largest tonnage throughput port in New England; 2nd largest crude oil port and the 3rd largest oil terminal port on the U.S. East Coast; 2nd largest international passenger port in New England.

The Port of Searsport offers:

Two terminals handling refined petroleum cargo; one terminal that handles liquid and dry bulk cargo; and is also home to the US Air Force Aerospace Fuels Testing Lab. A $20 million investment in a public/private partnership with Sprague Energy resulting in the completion of a new terminal in 2003, providing expanded opportunities to handle dry bulk, break-bulk, and containerized products.The Searsport facility offers roughly 60 acres of land for new development at the Mack Point Facility. Additional space for limited types of development may be available on nearby Sears Island.

There is direct rail transfer at dockside for bulk, breakbulk, petroleum operations, and container operations. Over 6,500 ft. of on-site rail interconnected with Canadian Pacific is capable of double stack service to the US Midwest, central Canada, and Vancouver. There is also a pipeline, currently inactive, that connects to storage facilities in central and northern Maine. This pipeline could also be reconfigured to deliver natural gas to the facility.Approach channel depths in Searsport are in the range of -35 MLLW. Berth Depths range from -32’ MLLW to -40’MLLW. The port experiences a 10-foot mean tidal range.

The Port of Eastport offers:

One cargo terminal that handles dry-bulk and break-bulk products. A home to some of the largest aquaculture operations in the state and one of the largest salmon aquaculture operations in the U.S. Roughly 25 acres in proximity to the port, which is available for development. Approach channel depths over 100 feet and a mean low water deph of 64 ft. The port experiences a 20-foot tidal range. Closest U.S. port to Europe by one day.