Port Authority of Buffalo

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About

The Port of Buffalo, owned and operated by Gateway Metroport, ranks 28th amoung all U.S. seaports and seventh of the Great Lakes ports. Located at the eastern end of Lake Erie, it is 22 miles from Port Colborne, Ontario, the Welland Canal's terminus on Lake Erie, and is the first major U.S. port of call encountered on entering the Great Lakes. Its central location within 500 miles of the major population and distribution centers of the Northeast and North Central States, and within 500 miles of 75 percent of the Canadian population, makes it ideal for industry and distribution. The Port has excellent facilities: piers with 27 feet of water (Seaway standard depth) alongside, can accommodate seven vessels simultaneously. Two hundred acres located on or near deep water are set aside for bulk cargo storage; self unloaders and conventional bulk carriers can discharge and load while sheltered by the harbor breakwall. More and more shippers are taking advantage of the Port's excellent bulk distribution facilities. In addition to a number of heavy fork lift trucks, two portable conveyor belt systems and other modern material handling equipment, the Port recently acquired a 230 ton American crawler crane and a heavy duty front end loader. The crawler crane, when "married" to the Port's existing 50 ton LeTourneau gantry crane, offers dramatic lifting capability. The LeTourneau, with its lifting capacity of 50 tons at 40 feet, has the accessories: hook, bridle, electo-magnet, sling and spreaders, to move any type of cargo quickly and economically. Its high mobility enables it to serve both the general cargo and bulk piers. A highly mobile Kolberg conveyor system is also available. Foreign Trade Zone No. 23 is in operation at the Port and is just about at capacity. A satellite foreign trade zone has been opened near the Greater Buffalo International Airport and in Amherst. The Port of Buffalo is a member of the Council of Upstate Ports of New York, a forum for discussion and resolution of problems common to New York's upstate port; it played a leading role in forming the Port of Buffalo Users Group, a cooperative unit formed by local shippers for consolidation of cargoes and inducement of regularly scheduled steamship services. The history of the Gateway Port of Buffalo over the past decade has shown steady improvement and expansion of Port facilities. With the future expected to emphasize energy efficient transportation modes ever more strongly, the Gateway Port of Buffalo has great potential for playing a primary role in the Buffalo area economy in coming years.