The Maine Port Authority has awarded Americold, a provider of temperature-controlled supply chain solutions for the food industry, the bid to build a 150,000 square foot facility on 6.3 acres of land adjacent to the International Marine Terminal in Portland, Maine.

Americold will partner with the Maine Port Authority to generate new opportunities for the port, attracting business currently served at other ports and accommodating increased local demand by leveraging the site’s access to rail and road networks that are spared the congestion of ports to the south.

“Americold has been a fixture in the local community for more than 60 years, and this project solidifies our commitment to the City, the Port and the State,” commented Fred Boehler, President and COO of Americold.  “We’re excited about the opportunity to add a brand new, state-of-the-art showpiece building to the area and be a part of the future of the Port of Portland.  We plan to leverage our world-class ‘design, build and operate’ expertise to create a world-class facility to bring new business to Portland, while maintaining our existing relationships with local seafood companies, food producers, and retailers.”

Eimskip, a global temperature-controlled shipping line based in Iceland, has invested in the Portland market establishing the Port of Portland as its primary U.S. port of call and has partnered with Americold on the development.  “We’re very pleased with the award and the opportunity to work with Americold and the Maine Port Authority to provide New England with the most advanced cold storage and transportation options on the east coast,” commented Larus Isfeld, Managing Director of Eimskip USA.

Eimskip will become an anchor tenant and is considering relocating its North American headquarters to the new facility once it’s completed. Together, Americold and Eimskip will offer the market full temperature-controlled supply chain capability with multi-model transportation and a state-of-the-art facility located on the port.

“New England is in need of port-based, temperature-controlled transportation and storage solutions outside of Boston,” said John Henshaw, executive director of the Maine Port Authority. “Americold’s new facility will bring the latest in cold chain innovation right to our region’s doorstep, significantly reducing transportation times and costs associated with trucking down to Boston.”

The new site will provide work for approximately 200 personnel during construction and up to 30 full time jobs once the facility is in full operation. It is anticipated that the groundbreaking could occur in the latter half of 2016 with operations commencing within a year.