The shipping platform

Location: The port of New Bedford is situated at the mouth of the Acushnet River on the W shore of Buzzards Bay, SE Massachusetts. General overview: New Bedford is a deep-water port with depths of 9.0m. It is a large well sheltered harbour with most of the berths being used by fishing vessels. The harbour features a hurricane barrier, which stretches across the water from the S end of New Bedford town to the town of Fairhaven. The barrier's 45m opening is closed during hurricane conditions; this makes New Bedford a safe location on the Eastern seaboard. The entrance to the harbour is only 9nm from the beginning of the Cape Cod Canal shipping channel. Cargoes handled are general and refrigerated. Traffic figures: Approx 864,000t of cargo handled annually (Including Fairhaven harbour). Load line zone: Summer Zone for ships over 100m in length and Winter Seasonal Area for ships of 100m or less in length, Winter Nov 1 to Mar 31, Summer Apr 1 to Oct 31. Max size: LOA 213m, vessels over 9.0m draught are restricted by the tide.