The Port of Boston Creates New Opportunities in a Declining Economy
New Steamship Service Connects New England Businesses to Scores of New Trade Destinations

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced today that even in a declining economy, the Port of Boston is creating new business opportunities for trade dependent companies. CMA CGM (America) LLC, the third largest global steamship line, will begin new service at the Port of Boston beginning March 23rd offering more than 50 new trade destinations for New England shippers. The addition of the CMA CGM service now brings three of the worlds top 10 global vessel operators to the Port of Boston.

We are delighted to welcome the new CMA CGM service to the Port of Boston, said Thomas J. Kinton, Jr., Massports CEO & Executive Director. In the current economic climate, this service protects jobs for working families and keeps trucking and longshoremen jobs in the Port of Boston. The addition of the new trading destinations makes the port more competitive, which will benefit New England businesses looking to engage in global commerce.

CMA CGMs new service route, called Black Pearl, will connect Boston with the globe via its trans-shipment hub in Kingston, Jamaica. At the hub, cargo is transferred to and from the Boston ship to vessels sailing to nations in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The containership Stadt Berlin will call Conley Container Terminal in South Boston every other week. The service is primarily set up to cater to oversized cargo, and perishable and temperature-sensitive shipments, such as produce and seafood.

The Port of Boston is one of only a handful of North American ports to add new service this year. In addition to Boston, the new Black Pearl service will also call New York and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The addition of Boston to the Black Pearl Service demonstrates CMA CGMs commitment to offering our customers the best and most extensive array of services in the Caribbean and East coast of Central America, commented Frank J. Baragona, President, CMA CGM (America) LLC. We are pleased to be returning to the Boston marketplace and responding to our customers needs.

The Port of Boston is also served twice weekly by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) with North Europe and the Mediterranean direct services, and weekly by China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) and its vessel sharing partners, K Line, Yang Ming Line, and Hanjin providing direct service between Boston and ports in China. Columbia Coastal Transport provides a weekly barge service between Boston and New York carrying containers from other steamship lines moving cargo in and out of the New England market.

The Port of Bostons activity supports 34,000 jobs, and contributes more than $2 billion to the local, regional, and national economies through direct, indirect, and induced impact. In 2008, the Port of Boston handled nearly 15 million metric tons of cargo.

The Port of Boston is the oldest continually active major port in the Western Hemisphere and is the largest port serving New England. Top imports include: alcoholic beverages, frozen seafood, footwear and furniture. Top exports include: hides and skins, autos, logs and lumber, frozen seafood, paper including waste paper, and scrap metal.

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