The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced that the Port of Boston set records last year for container cargo shipments and cruise passengers at North America's oldest continuously active port. At Conley Container Terminal combined imports and exports grew by more than 10% over 2006, and at Cruiseport Boston's Black Falcon Cruise Terminal scheduled cruise passenger traffic grew by 12%.

'The Port of Boston had a terrific year showing double-digit growth in both cruise and containers,' said Mike Leone Port Director for Massport. 'Customers are looking for more cost effective, reliable, and environmentally-friendly ways to move goods, therefore we are starting to see more freight moving by all-water. With respect to cruise passengers, we benefited from a 25% increase in scheduled ship calls and larger vessels. This increased business demonstrates Boston is an attractive destination to connect vacationers with leisure, and a great location to homeport cruise ships.'

In 2006, total container volume at Massport's Conley Terminal in South Boston was 220,341 teus. Total tonnage was 1,715,680 short tons. The record-breaking volume of containers is fueled by a rise in cargo activity with Asia that has rocketed since 2002. Also contributing to the growth was the completion of a two-year $28 million upgrade to the terminal. The project, which started in July 2005 and was completed in June 2007, added new equipment, and expanded the capacity of the terminal by 50% even though the 100-acre footprint of the terminal was not changed. The terminal's improved efficiency allows trucks coming in and out to deliver and receive containers faster. In 2007, 'turn-time' at the gate averaged 39 minutes as compared to 56 minutes in 2005.

The Port of Boston's vessel and cargo activity supports 34,000 jobs, and contributes more than $2 billion to the local, regional, and national economies through direct, indirect, and induced impact.

The Port of Boston's imports include: alcoholic beverages, frozen seafood, footwear and furniture. Top exports include: hides and skins, autos, logs and lumber, frozen seafood, recycled paper, and metal ware.