The Port of Portland is a seaport located in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. It is the second-largest tonnage seaport in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

as well as one of the largest oil ports on the East Coast (the second-largest prior to 2016). It is the primary American port of call for Icelandic shipping company

Eimskip Eimskipafélag Íslands hf. (, ), trading as Eimskip (, ), is an international shipping company with 56 offices in 20 countries and four continents; Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Eimskip specialises in worldwide freight forwarding ...

. There are nine terminals in the port according to the Maine Port Authority, a statewide agency that oversees Maine's commercial marine facilities. Additionally there are two passenger facilities, the Ocean Gateway International Marine Passenger Terminal and the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal. The majority of Portland's non-passenger terminals are for petroleum products, especially the Portland–Montreal pipeline, which has gradually reduced its capacity since 2010. Container shipping through Portland has increased considerably over that same period. 100 cruise ships docked in Portland in 2019, making it Maine's second-largest cruise ship port behind Bar Harbor. A regional ferry service, Casco Bay Lines, also operates out of the Port of Portland.

History

Maritime trade has always been important in Portland, as the name reflects. By 1806, Portland was the sixth-largest American port, and Fort Preble was constructed to defend it, forming the heart of the Harbor Defenses of Portland. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

unsuccessfully targeted the Port of Portland; this was the only major action ever seen by Fort Preble, which was partially disarmed during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Battery Steele was constructed in Portland on Peaks Island, making Fort Preble obsolete. Battery Steele itself was abandoned after the war ended. Portland port 08

From 1970 to 2008 the Port of Portland was connected by a seasonal (summer only) international ferry service to

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region. History Originally inhab ...

. Lion Ferry operated the first vessels on this route, MS ''Prince of Fundy'' (1970–76), MS ''Bolero'' (1973–76), and MS ''Caribe'' (1976–81). CN Marine operated the MV ''Marine Evangeline'' from 1978 to 1982. Prince of Fundy Cruises and later Scotia Prince Cruises operated the MS ''Scotia Prince'' from 1983 to 2004. Bay Ferries began operating the high speed catamaran HSC ''The Cat'' on the Portland-Nova Scotia route in 2006 using the newly constructed Ocean Gateway International Marine Passenger Terminal for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. This service was canceled after the 2009 season. Icelandic shipping company

began container service between Europe and Portland in 2013. Between 2013 and 2019, container traffic in the Port of Portland nearly tripled.{{Cite web, title=Maine's only shipping container terminal expects its biggest ship yet, url=https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/maines-only-shipping-container-terminal-expects-its-biggest-ship-yet/97-f4190fab-be22-47b6-b4dd-3c0c8cf5ae2d, access-date=2020-12-11, website=newscentermaine.com, language=en-US The construction of a cold storage facility has been proposed several times, most recently in 2020, as a way to make the port more valuable for foreign trade.

References

External links

Official Portland Harbor website
Casco Bay Water transport buildings and structures in Portland, Maine Transportation in Portland, Maine Transportation buildings and structures in Cumberland County, Maine

History

See also

References

External links