New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal Expansion and Improvement Project 2024-2026

MassCEC / Offshore Energy / New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal / Expansion

Overview

On August 14, 2024, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center announced plans for the expansion and improvement of the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, a 30-acre purpose-built facility constructed and operated by MassCEC for the construction, assembly, and deployment of offshore wind projects. Currently operating as the staging and pre-assembly port for Vineyard Wind 1, one of the nation’s first commercial scale offshore wind projects, the Terminal is an essential piece of infrastructure for Massachusetts climate goals. The expansion and improvement project represents the commitment of the Commonwealth to ensure that the facility will continue to provide critical support for the deployment of gigawatts of renewable offshore wind and serve as an essential port asset for the emerging U.S. offshore wind industry for years to come.

The overall scope of the project includes: the acquisition of four abutting properties by MassCEC, the replacement of an existing legacy bulkhead with a new high bearing capacity quayside, development of additional heavy lift storage area, and the construction of a new office and warehouse building. When completed, the project will expand the available heavy-lift storage area by 5 acres to a total of 26 contiguous acres (24% increase), increase the total heavy-lift quayside available at the terminal by 200 linear feet to 1,200 linear feet (20% increase), and provide additional office and warehouse space and functionality for Terminal tenants. The project is being advanced in four phases: (1) building demolition/abatement and soil remediation; (2) civil site improvements for high-bearing capacity groundworks; (3) Terminal bulkhead redevelopment; and (4) new office/warehouse construction. The anticipated completion date for the expansion project is December 2026.

Background

With the goal of ensuring the Terminal remains a competitive asset to the developing offshore wind industry, over the past two years MassCEC engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process that:

  • Examined the offshore wind market, current status and trends;
  • Conducted an inventory and adequacy assessment for offshore wind ports on the East Coast;
  • Evaluated the competitive position of the Terminal against other regional ports for core offshore market scenarios; and
  • Identified opportunities for improvement and optimization.

The work was supported by a global team of consultants with extensive offshore wind experience and capabilities, as well as ongoing engagement and consultation with key industry actors, including developers, turbine manufacturers, and installation and transportation businesses. Some of the key findings and recommendations from the strategic planning process were:

  • The offshore wind market in the U.S. is on the verge of significant growth, led by state energy commitments of more than 55 gigawatts planned by 2040, and federal leadership from the Biden Administration that has established the Nation’s first offshore wind goal of 30 GW by 2030, along with a national leasing strategy for wind energy area identification and competitive leasing auctions for seven new regions in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico.
  • Early investments by the Commonwealth have positioned the Terminal as the first purpose-built offshore wind port in the U.S. and currently one of two available marshalling port facilities. There are several other offshore wind marshalling ports in development on the East Coast, and analysis by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has indicated that the existing and planned port infrastructure is inadequate to meet state and federal goals. Projections show demand for at least 8 marshalling ports by 2026.
  • With the increasing size of both turbine components utilized by developer and the projects being procured by states, the available area for component storage and turbine pre-assembly is a constraining factor for the Terminal. Additionally, a portion of the Terminal’s existing bulkhead/quayside area is not optimized, as one parcel acquired after initial construction (referred to as the Shuster parcel) is severely limited in its bearing capacity.
  • The expansion of the facility with additional laydown and storage area would increase its handling capacity and throughput, reduce project risks, and could potentially present new opportunities for utilization.

Prior expansion projects for the Terminal have included:

  • In 2017, MassCEC acquired the “Hall Communications Radio Tower parcel” (4.2 acres, Site 1 on Figure 1) and the “Shuster Corporation Distribution Center” parcel (2.4 acres and 25,000 sf office/warehouse building, Site 2 on Figure 1). Civil works were conducted at the Hall Communications Radio Tower site to convert the majority of the parcel into high-bearing capacity storage area for the main Terminal.
  • In 2022, MassCEC acquired the 80 Wright Street parcel (1.1 acres, Site 3 on Figure 1). Civil works were conducted at this site to convert the majority of the parcel into high-bearing capacity storage area for the main Terminal.
Satellite image of New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal Expansion outlined in red, yellow and green.
Figure 1. Prior expansion projects for the Terminal.

Expansion and Improvement Project

MassCEC’s primary goals for the expansion and improvement of the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal are to ensure that the facility will continue to serve as an essential piece of infrastructure for Massachusetts climate goals and provide critical support for the deployment of renewable offshore wind for years to come. The core elements of the project are:

  • Acquisition by MassCEC of four abutting properties (Parcels 1-4 on Figure 2);
  • Expansion of the Terminal’s available heavy-lift storage area;
  • Redevelopment of the existing legacy bulkhead at the Terminal to enable handling of wind turbine generator components across the entire quayside of the facility; and
  • Relocation and construction of a new office and warehouse building for tenant and MassCEC personnel and operations.
Satellite image of New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal Expansion shaded in yellow, green and blue.
Figure 2. Expansion properties (parcels 1-4), and “Shuster” improvement site of existing facility

MassCEC has committed $45 million in funding for the project as part of $180 million investment in a portfolio of seven offshore wind port redevelopment projects in New Bedford, Salem, and Somerset authorized by its Board of Directors in December 2022. When completed the project will expand the available heavy-lift storage area by 5 acres to a total of 26 contiguous acres (24% increase in area) and improve site geometry and component handling logistics, increase the total heavy-lift quayside available at the Terminal to 1,200 linear feet, and provide additional office and warehouse space and functionality for terminal tenants (developers, turbine component suppliers, and other contractors) and MassCEC staff.

In acquisition of the four abutting properties, MassCEC used sales-comparable and income-based approaches that took into account replacement cost values for existing fish processing businesses and negotiated mutually agreeable terms with the sellers to accommodate their plans for business relocation or consolidation.

The project is being advanced in four phases, as depicted in Figure 3 and described below in more detail]: (1) building demolition/abatement and soil remediation; (2) civil site improvements for high-bearing capacity groundworks; (3) Terminal bulkhead redevelopment; and (4) new office/warehouse construction.

Image of New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal Expansion outlined in red, white, yellow and green.
New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal Expansion, figure 3

Building demolition/abatement and soil remediation

  • Abatement of four existing buildings and the responsible disposal of legacy building materials.
  • Demolition of four existing buildings to prepare recently acquired properties for development as additional heavy-lift storage area or new office and warehouse site.
  • Removal and tie-back of existing utility lines to prepare for the placement of new utility corridors.

Civil site improvements for high-bearing capacity groundworks

  • Identification, classification, and disposal of legacy impacted soils as required across high-bearing capacity development properties.
  • Removal of geotechnically unsuitable soil materials in order to achieve design high-bearing capacity surface conditions.
  • Placement of not less than 3’ of suitable dense graded aggregate in newly constructed heavy-lift areas to serve as both a site pavement surface and environmental cap.

Terminal bulkhead redevelopment

  • Construction of a socketed sheet-pile bulkhead inland of legacy cellular cofferdam structures.
  • Responsible disposal of existing cofferdam fill materials and demolition of legacy cellular cofferdam structures. Construction of a pile-supported quayside structure to an intended design capacity of 4,100 psf (uniform) in line with the existing main Terminal quayside.

New office/warehouse construction

  • Identification, classification, and disposal of legacy impacted soils as required across office and warehouse development properties.
  • Construction of a new office and warehouse to support MassCEC and Terminal customer operations with consideration to local traffic flows and site access routing. Increase the number of available off-street parking spaces to support Terminal operations as far as possible and strive to exceed parking requirements as outlined in City of New Bedford zoning requirements.

MassCEC is being supported on the project by Colliers (real estate), Foth (engineering), and Civil & Environmental Consultants (geotechnical and remediation), and Utile (architects). The project team is currently advancing site design concepts, filing for required permits, and procuring contractors for the work scopes.

Late 2025
Progress Update

MassCEC is providing an end of year update on the expansion and improvement of the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal (NBMCT).

In 2024, MassCEC acquired four properties adjacent to the Terminal’s existing heavy lift storage area:

  • The 18 and 54 Wright Street parcels (2.6 acres, Sites 1/2 on Figure 2)
  • The 350 and 360/382 S Front Street parcels (1.8 acres, Sites 3/4 on Figure 2).

In early 2025, MassCEC’s contractors completed the demolition and abatement of existing vertical structures at Sites 1, 2, and 3.

  • The existing warehouse located at Site 4 was originally scheduled for demolition, but after a value engineering review, it was determined that the existing structure will meet MassCEC’s warehouse requirements following a comprehensive renovation from Q4 2025 to Q2 2026.

MassCEC contractors recently completed the development of additional heavy lift storage at Sites 1 and 2.

  • This scope of work included the identification and responsible disposal of legacy impacted soils and civil site improvements to expand the existing heavy lift acreage that is available at NBMCT.
  • Sites 1 and 2 will be fully incorporated into the existing high-bearing capacity site as part of a future civil site contract.

In late 2025, MassCEC completed an RFP process and selected a contractor to complete the warehouse renovation scope at 360/382 S Front Street (Site 4). This work will begin in December 2025.

  • Following renovation of the existing warehouse, MassCEC will issue an RFP for site improvements for areas surrounding the warehouse and the future site of a Terminal office building (Sites 3 & 4).
  • An RFP for the construction of a new office building will be released in late 2026, with construction expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

MassCEC recently released an RFP for Terminal bulkhead redevelopment and is preparing to release RFPs for the demolition and abatement of vertical structures, and subsequent civil site improvements at 4 Wright Street (Site A on Figure 2)

  • In 2017, MassCEC acquired the “Shuster Corporation Distribution Center” (4 Wright Street) parcel (2.4 acres, 25,000 sf office/warehouse building, and 200 ft of additional quayside).
  • This parcel has been home to NBMCT personnel since the acquisition of the parcel in 2017. Once the Phase III improvement and expansion project is completed, NBMCT operations will move to the newly constructed office building (Site 3).
  • Bulkhead redevelopment, demolition/abatement, and civil site improvements will be contracted as three separate scopes of work with anticipated completion in summer of 2027.
  • An excavator and wildcat work to demolish a structure
    Demolition work at 350. S Front Street
  • Two excavators work with debri material.
    Demolition work at 54 Wright Street
  • An excavator loads a dump truck, to the left large wind turbine blades lay stacked together
    Contractor excavating and loading out soils from 18 & 54 Wright Street
  • Land prepped for construction with levelled soil over a metal mesh
    Heavy-lift construction progress at 18 & 54 Wright Street
  • Demolition completed at sites one and two, vehicles park on prepared site.
    Aerial view of Site 1 and 2 heavy lift expansion

    The anticipated completion date for the expansion project is December 2027. This web page will be updated as the project progresses.

    For more information, please contact:

    • Tim Griffin, Terminal Director, MassCEC New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, tgriffin@masscec.com
    • Doug Ernst, P.E. and Project Director, Foth, Doug.Ernst@Foth.com

    MassCEC / Offshore Energy / New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal / Expansion