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The Port of New Bedford has shaped the identity and economy of the city - and the region - for over 150 years. The “Whaling City” that inspired Herman Melville is now home port to the fishing fleet that makes New Bedford the No. 1 port in the country. The waterfront is an important economic, cultural, and recreational resource--extending from the beaches that line the bay, throughout the harbor and to the river. It continues to be one of the nation's premier working waterfronts built around the fishing and seafood industries. Yearly, citizens from around the country and world experience a true working waterfront that is within walking distant to the New Bedford’s Historic National Park. Ocean shipping, ferry services, cruise and charter vessels, and recreational boats are bringing new activity to the waterfront and jobs to the region.

Port Features
Like many modern working ports, New Bedford/Fairhaven Harbor balances maritime interests and local economic needs with environmental concerns. Several economic and environmental designations, such as the Foreign Trade Zone and No Discharge Area, currently apply to the port.

Designated Port Area (DPA)
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management has classified portions of the waterfront in New Bedford as a Designated Port Area (DPA) under a program to preserve and promote maritime industry. The DPA classification encourages the creation or expansion of water-dependent industrial facilities.

New Bedford’s Foreign Trade Zone
The Port of New Bedford, New Bedford Regional Airport, and adjacent areas form the New Bedford Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), which provides duty-free manufacturing opportunities for importers and exporters. The City of New Bedford is grantee or holder of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) #28. An FTZ is a designated area that, for Customs purposes, is considered outside the U.S. Nearly any imported merchandise can be brought into the FTZ for almost any kind of manipulation duty-free, unless it enters the U.S. market. Goods in the FTZ can be assembled, manufactured or processed and final products re-exported without paying Customs duties. If the final products enter the U.S., the duty rate may be lower than the duty applicable to the product itself or its parts.

New Bedford offers international distribution services that support the FTZ. The city is accessible by sea, air, and rail services, as well as interstate highway systems. The port has shipping agencies, freight forwarding and stevedore services, and warehouse and truck-brokering facilities. The New Bedford Regional Airport is located within the FTZ. New Bedford is serviced by the CSX interstate railway. The city is adjacent to the interstate highway system and is within overnight truck delivery distance of most major cities in the Northeast industrial corridor. Long-haul trucking service to Canada and U.S. inland states also is available.

New Bedford Foreign Trade Zone #28 is a direct port of entry to European and Latin American markets. FTZ #28 is able to sponsor expanded general purpose sites within a 60-mile radius of the city. In addition, the FTZ has the potential to sponsor qualified sub zones anywhere in Massachusetts. The FTZ Corporation recently created a sub zone near the port’s South Terminal area outside the Hurricane Barrier.

Fishing
New Bedford is home to more than 3,500 men and woman who work in the fishing industry, from fisherman, scallopers, and lobster men; to the men and woman who process the catch for sale around the world. New Bedford fishermen continue a tradition that spans generations. The work is hard and dangerous. The City is proud to call the port of New Bedford the number one port in the United States. The harvesting and processing of seafood contributes $5.5 billion dollars to the New England economy and more than $850 million dollars to the local economy.