The Paulsboro Alternative
An environment-friendly 77ha facility with up to four berths that will sit across the Delaware River from Philadelphia International Airport and could be open by 2011 – that’s the $274M Paulsboro Marine Terminal project in New Jersey and Scott Berman has the details
Paulsboro is the US Port of Camden’s answer to twin problems: record cargo volumes that reached well over 4M tonnes in 2006, albeit before the global economic downturn, and landlocked facilities – the latter compounded by the City of Camden’s desire to expand its revitalising waterfront.
South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) officials looked about 19km down the Delaware River and came up with the Paulsboro alternative: construction of a general cargo, deepwater bulk and break-bulk terminal.
True, SJPC’s been hit by the recession, with drops in overall break-bulk tonnage – steel, wood products and cocoa have fallen furthest. But cargo projections are calling for 15–20 additional berths in this region of the Delaware River over the next 20 years. And SJPC, a state agency that owns and operates Camden’s Beckett Street and Broadway Terminals, plus the Port of Salem, sees the new terminal as the quickest and best expansion solution.
Forging Ahead
At their 28 July meeting, SJPC directors took crucial decisions that brought Paulsboro closer to reality, including:
- Award of a $3,482,790 contract to CH2MHILL for the terminal’s final design and project management
- Approval of up to $56M in SJPC bonds to begin site preparation.
Chairman Richard Alaimo said at the meeting: “With today’s agreements, we expect to break ground on Paulsboro this September or early October and get construction under way, with a target for operations within 24 to 30 months after environmental permit approvals.”
CEO Joseph Balzano said: “Currently, because of the world recession, we’re in a valley. But as Paulsboro comes online, the economy should be on the upswing, our ports in Camden and Paulsboro will be buzzing and we’ll be looking for expanded growth and for more berths in South Jersey.
“Paulsboro is key to the SJPC’s plan for incremental growth,” he added. “We’ve reached capacity in Camden and have turned to Paulsboro to grow, as we will turn to other good sites in South Jersey for further growth and more jobs.”
Background
The Paulsboro site consists of parc ...