NEW BEDFORD

CONGESTION is on the verge of collapsing the “truck network.” With East Coast interstate trade projected to triple in the next 10 to 15 years, highway systems simply cannot handle the expected huge increase in truck traffic. The goals of clean air, open space and quality of life are incompatible with further extensions and expansions of the highway system. Short sea shipping through the reuse of a reinvigorated and robust coastal shipping network, the “Ocean Highways,” promises a sound alternative for the future and a real opportunity for economic growth for the Port of New Bedford.

Short sea shipping will not use New Bedford’s commercial fishing infrastructure. In fact, plans are in play to expand the public piers and wharves that support the city’s fishing fleet. Likely hubs for short sea shipping include State Pier and Maritime Terminal, with backland staging areas for truck traffic.

Short sea shipping equals jobs and new jobs. Less than 20 years ago, three stevedore companies provided over 50,000 man-hours of labor for oceangoing import/export activity in New Bedford. Since that time the port has seen a decline of 75 percent in labor man-hours, identifying it as a vastly undertapped resource for economic growth and job creation. Short sea shipping offers a viable opportunity to rebuild this labor market by bringing freight activity to the port.

Further, as a short sea shipping hub, New Bedford will move to the frontline of the supply chain, lowering the cost of transporting cargo and thereby attracting new business to the area and stimulating economic growth of existing backland industries. This means more jobs. A study funded by the Governor’s Seaport Council indicated that short sea shipping could bring as many as 800 jobs to the New Bedford region.

As for truckers, short sea shipping is a win and national trucking associations and unions are on board. Truckers are hurting from rising fuel costs, regulations on long-haul trips and the unwillingness of drivers to be away from home for long periods. Many truckers are paid by the number of trips made, not by miles traveled. More short-haul moves would allow them to run multiple trips and increase their income. Other benefits would include lower fuel consumption and improved lifestyle.

No jobs would be lost but rather there would be a shift to short-haul trips from long-haul trips. Traffic issues can be addressed by scheduling vessels and truck transport for night and staging trucks in industrial areas.

Short sea shipping will only be a piece of the vibrant working waterfront. The commercial fishing industry is the soul of our economy and will only gain by the revitalization of the port. There are opportunities on many fronts, including global import/export trade, water-borne industries, recreational boating, and cruise and ferry services. It is not one use versus another but how all these industries can work as a whole to complement one another and best sustain the great city of New Bedford.

Kristin Decas is executive director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission.