Sears Island Cargo Port: Ever Be Built?

[ADSLubec]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

I have never understood the interest in that island as a port when there is all ready a natural deep water protected port in place.

Eastport Port Authority - About Us (http://www.portofeastport.org/aboutUs.htm - broken link)

Exactly what I was going to say.

No need for the Searsport facility.

Alan

[mollysmiles]

Coaster I know what you mean about that trail system. It seems like that moved along so quickly! I don't know what it's like between Ellsworth and Machias, but it looks like it's about halfway complete between Machias and Calais! I know they're working on bringing back rail service to Eastport, but you bring up a very good point. The Saint John port expansion is going to hurt Maine ports, and I think competition for cargo is going to be tough, to say the least. Some people believe that it won't effect Maine ports because transports will have to cross the border to bring it into the States, but with the new bridge opening here in Calais with an eye toward moving those trucks through efficiently, most people think it's a concern.

[BrokenTap]

Originally Posted by Coaster

BT, I think the 300 figure comes from the number of people employed to build the port, not operate it. As much as I hate to admit it, Mr. Taber (who has fought development on the island tooth and nail for many years) is correct in that regard. There was always tlak of other industries locating out there with the port. Perhaps they would increase the employment number toward the 300 mark.

Eastport is a fine deepwater port, but its major drawback is lack of a rail connection to the rest of the world. The rail line to Washington County from Ellsworth is being torn up for a highly questionable (IMO) trail system that will be taken over by ATVs and snowmobiles. There's the rail line that comes out of Canada at Vanceboro, but there's no spur to Eastport that I know of.

Most of the growth in ship traffic at Bucksport, BTW, has been the cruise line that makes runs up to Bangor, although I hear that the dock at the mill is seeing more traffic for petroleum products.

As for the likelihood that Sears Island will be developed, I have to rank it as very low. For one thing, Irving is building a brand new deepwater container port north of St. John that should be finished next year IIRC. That's going to suck a LOT of container traffic away from other East Coast ports and put a new development at Sears Island at a serious disadvantage.

I used to deer hunt out there before the causeway was built, and other family members brought down more than a few partridges in the meadows. It's a beautiful place.

It's hard to say. You drive through Sprague Terminal (Mack Point) at 2 AM and its amazing the amount of workers that are there, then you count the trucks hauling out of the terminal, and considering those that are already on the road...I don't know...that is a lot of jobs. Then of course there are the incidental jobs that help support the trucking and marine industries and it all adds up pretty quick. Everything from the girl selling sanwiches at the local diner to truckers, to the diver that is employed to pull fishing gear out of tug boats...it all adds up.

As for the Eastport rail connection, I agree...I think ripping up rail lines in this day and age (former railroader myself) is kind of silly considering out west the railroads are running at capacity or above. Here we rely on trucks alone and its killing our industry. I remember once being yelled at by a mill worker in Orono just before it shut down. Guildford rail was supposed to provide the mill with 21 cars a day to fill with paper, and they got 3 cars on average. The mill tried to haul by truck, but they could not do so effeciently. That was only part of the reason, and that mill worker had no problems telling me what he thought of Guilford Transportation Systems now I will tell you. Our ineffecient transportation system is crippling Maine for sure, so I think getting a port would help us. One thing is for sure, I would rather try something to put Mainer's back to work, then to stand on an unused islland with my hands in my pockets and say "oh it will never work."

As for Bucksport, yes that is a booming port now. We had a ship last week and a barge of fuel oil today, so I know its busy. Its just a tough place to dock a ship because the currents there are very precarious, and its impossible to put out oil booms like they do at searsport. It is also a day-light only port and ships can only be docked on the slack tides. Makes logistics a pain, but at least I don't have to get out of bed at 2 am!

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

Coaster I know what you mean about that trail system. It seems like that moved along so quickly! I don't know what it's like between Ellsworth and Machias, but it looks like it's about halfway complete between Machias and Calais! I know they're working on bringing back rail service to Eastport, but you bring up a very good point. The Saint John port expansion is going to hurt Maine ports, and I think competition for cargo is going to be tough, to say the least. Some people believe that it won't effect Maine ports because transports will have to cross the border to bring it into the States, but with the new bridge opening here in Calais with an eye toward moving those trucks through efficiently, most people think it's a concern.

They have torn up the rails at least into Cherryfield.

The Irvings in Canada are doing all they can to see that new ports, ie. container/lng, don't get started in eastern Maine. It's good for them to not have competition.

The rails to trails idea has always seemed a bit hokey to me.