BY HAILEY DESORMEAUX
The Port of Boston’s Conley Container Terminal handled 237,166 TEUs in 2015, an 11 percent increase from 2014, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) said. Import volumes surged 8.1 percent from 2014, while export volumes jumped 5.4 percent.
Massport, which owns and operates the Conley Container Terminal, attributed the growth to the strong regional economy and the higher levels of productivity.
In 2015, the MSC Judith and COSCO Napoli began calling the terminal, both of which have capacities over 8,000 TEUs. These two vessels are the largest containerships to ever call the Conley Container Terminal, demonstrating the need to dredge the Boston Harbor, according to Massport.
Under the Boston Harbor Improvement Project, the harbor’s channels and the berths at Conley Container Terminal will be deepened to accommodate larger containerships. Overall, the dredging project will deepen the North Entrance Channel from 45 feet deep to 51 feet deep, the Main Channel from 40 feet deep to 47 feet deep and create a 50-foot berth at the Conley Container Terminal.
Situated in south Boston, the Conley Container Terminal is New England’s only full-service container terminal and serves eight of the top 20 container lines in the world. Containerized cargo passing through the terminal includes seafood, beer and wine, furniture, apparel and footwear.
