Bruce Fenimore, president & CEO of Columbia Group has announced that Columbia Coastal Transport will resume weekly container barge service linking the ports of Portland, Maine and the Port of NY/NJ.

'This expansion of the company's Northern Marine Highway Service not only enables steamship lines to offer through bills of lading to and from Portland, but will give northern New England importers and exporters a 'greener' alternative to move multiple containers in either direction,' Bruce Fenimore said.

'Our reliable Marine Highway Service has proven its value the past 19 years,' Fenimore added. 'We offer a cost-effective all-water mode of transportation that helps reduce emissions and congestion on major highways in each region we serve. By offering this service to importers and exporters directly, we can help them achieve their goals to 'go green' while still providing the quality service, logistics support and cargo management the market demands.'

Columbia Coastal Transport is the premier full container barge feeder service operating on the Atlantic Coast as well as Freeport, Bahamas and Cuba on inducement. The company employs experienced marine and logistics professionals that handle all of the details required to manage shipments through to delivery, whether port-to-port or warehouse-to-warehouse.

'We believe that key importers and exporters in Northern Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and southern Canada will benefit from Columbia Coastal's Marine Highway alternative for freight movement,' said Kevin Mack, vice president Business Development at Columbia.

'The resumption of our Portland Shuttle Service presents a great opportunity for shippers to avoid terminal congestion, over-the-road weight restrictions and the shortage of truck power that often impedes cargo flow,' Mack added.

As the leading US experts in Short Sea Shipping, Columbia Coastal continues to expand its service offerings designed to give shippers a viable alternative to road and rail transport that supports Go Green initiatives and moves freight cost effectively at the same time.

The company utilized the Columbia Charleston, a 450 TEU barge that called in Portland, Maine to arrive in the Port of NY/NJ just two days later.

'Columbia Coastal has a proven track record of providing carriers with an effective and economical way to move freight,' Mack continued, 'and we are pleased to be offering this same opportunity to large volume importers and exporters in the northern New England region.'

Columbia Coastal Transport operates a fleet of seven container barges in regularly scheduled services linking five ports on the US Atlantic seaboard, and serves Freeport and Cuba on demand. The company's modern barges accommodate 20, 40 and 45-foot containers, including refrigerated units, and range in capacities from 450 to 912-TEUs.