Port of Davisville Points
February 2016
In This Issue
RI Leaders Hail 6th Consecutive Record Breaking Year at Davisville

Gov. Raimondo: $70 Million proposal to Invest in Success at the Port of Davisville

Port of Davisville Makes Trade Mission to Mexico

About the Port   

The Port of Davisville is Rhode Island's premiere public port and gateway to markets throughout Southern New England.  Strategically located near the mouth of Narragansett Bay, Davisville offers four berths and five terminals with nearly 60 acres of laydown and terminal storage.  Davisville is one of the top ports for auto imports and frozen seafood on the East Coast of the United States.  Recent investments at the Port include $23 million in terminal infrastructure improvements and a 150 metric ton mobile harbor crane.
Port Facilities
 
4,500 linear feet of
berthing space
 
Two piers (each 1,200 feet in length) and bulkhead
 
32 feet controlling depth - mean low water (MLW)
 
Intermodal container services and nearly 60 acres of laydown area

No Harbor Maintenance Fee 
Contact Us

For more information on shipping freight through the Port of Davisville, please contact:

Evan Matthews, Port Director
Quonset Development Corporation

+01 (401) 295-0044 ext. 237

95 Cripe Street,
North Kingstown, RI 02852
6th Consecutive Record Breaking Year
at the Port of Davisville

More than 227,000 Autos arrived by Ship,
A 27% Increase -- Autos Finished and Processed by
North Atlantic Distribution, Inc.  
 

Quonset's Port of Davisville
 
Governor Gina M. Raimondo announced today that the Port of Davisville achieved its sixth consecutive record breaking year for automobiles imported by ship in 2015.  Consistently one of the Top 10 auto ports in North America, the Port of Davisville has experienced 547% growth over the past 20 years. The announcement was recognized by Rhode Island's elected leaders, including, U.S. Senator Jack Reed, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Representative Jim Langevin,
U.S. Representative David Cicilline, Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello, Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed and others.

"For a vision of what is possible in Rhode Island, we don't need to look any further than the Quonset Business Park, where nearly 11,000 people work at over 200 companies, including one of the Top 10 auto importers in all of North America." said Gov. Raimondo.  "The Port of Davisville is one of our state's most important assets and today's announcement is another example of how Rhode Island can be a leader on the global stage."
 

"We need to continue this momentum and pursue initiatives that will ensure the Port continues to expand, creating even more economic growth and jobs in the future," the Governor added.

There were 227,021 automobiles imported at the Port last year, surpassing last year's record by 48,806 vehicles.  An additional 42,150 vehicles arrived by rail and truck for a total of 269,171 autos arriving at the Port in 2015.  The import figure reflects a 27% increase over the 2014 record of 178,215.  The amount of cars imported is now more than six times the volume seen at the Port just two decades ago.

The Port also had a record number of vessels arriving in 2015, with 193 ships calling at Davisville.  In 2015, vessels arriving at Davisville accounted for nearly half of the vessels arriving at ports and terminals in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay.  To see the full release, click here.
Gov. Raimondo: $70 Million Proposal
to Invest in Success at the
Port of Davisville 
 
 
Steven King, Managing Director of QDC and Dan Yorke
 
Governor Raimondo included a $70 million bond proposal in her state budget last week to modernize and reconstruct Pier 2 at the Port of Davisville. Built in 1956, the pier had a design life of 50 years.  The investment would solidify Davisville's position as the premiere marine commercial gateway to New England and add an additional 50 years to the pier's useful life.  It would also preserve hundreds of jobs in the maritime sector and keep Rhode Island competitive with other ports in the region.  

Steven King, Managing Director of the Quonset Development Corporation, which operates the Port, recently appeared on the Dan Yorke State of Mind program to discuss the proposal.  During the extensive interview, King explained how the initiative to modernize the Port will ensure Davisville's continued momentum and help the local economy.  He also discussed how the plan will re-configure the Port of Davisville for greater growth and provide additional berthing capacity so other shippers can be pursued to call at the facility.

The interview can be seen in its entirety starting at the 10:45 mark, click here to watch.  
Port of Davisville Makes
Trade Mission to Mexico
 
 
Alfonso Gutierrez Sanchez, (Volkswagen Mexico), Evan Matthews (Port of Davisville), Thomas Karig, (Volkswagen Mexico)
  
The start of the year has been a busy one for the Port of Davisville's Director Evan Matthews, who recently traveled on a trade mission to Mexico.  In addition to seeking new business for the Port, Matthews attended the annual Automotive Logistics Mexico conference in Mexico City and met with executives from the Mexican auto and port sectors.   

With assistance from Bryant University's John H. Chafee Center for International Trade and the US Commercial Service, Matthews traveled to Puebla to tour the Volkswagen production plant, which is VW's largest manufacturing complex other than its main production facility in Wolfsburg, Germany.

Approximately 30% of the volume handled at the Port of Davisville is produced at the Puebla plant.  He also traveled to San Jose Chiapas to tour the Audi plant that is under construction and scheduled to begin production of the Q5 later this year.  These units will also be handled through the Port of Davisville, and processed by North Atlantic Distribution, Inc. (NORAD).

"The Automotive Logistics Mexico conference in Mexico City brought together top executives from the U.S. and Mexico to discuss the key aspects of finished vehicle logistics," Matthews said. "There was also an extensive discussion about the challenges of keeping up with the fast expansion of production from the Mexican automotive industry.  It was a great opportunity to make sure industry players knew the Port of Davisville is primed for more growth."

All of the autos from Mexico currently imported through the Port of Davisville are exported from the Port of Veracruz.  During his trip, Matthews met with managers from SSA Marine, the stevedore who loads the ships in Veracruz for Volkswagen de Mexico.  He also heard from executives at Audi and BMW, who presented updates on the construction of their facilities and the supply chain challenges of building premium brand automobiles in Mexico for the first time.

The Port of Davisville is the premiere North Atlantic gateway for finished vehicle logistics and a major distribution hub for autos produced in Mexico. To learn more, click here.