The Ocean Gateway International Marine Passenger Terminal is a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

terminal in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, United States. It was built in two phases: Phase 1 being a new terminal building that in 2008 replaced the original "International Marine Terminal" and phase 2 being a new berth and docking facility for large cruise ships known as Ocean Gateway Pier II. Plans for the new passenger terminal were made as early as 2003, when the Portland city council presented an early design for the facility, including two buildings — a receiving building and a terminal building — built at the end of a pier. Construction began in September 2005, after the Reed and Reed construction company won the contract in June. The main terminal building is built over the water, and is a two-story structure, with customs facilities for international passengers on the first floor and a waiting area on the second. The terminal building is connected to the receiving building, located about away on shore, by a pair of pedestrian ramps. In addition to the receiving building, shore facilities include a parcel of land for parking cars and boarding buses, both local and tour. Building the terminal facility cost about $20.5 million, of which $9 million came from a bond issue by the state of Maine, $6 million from the federal government and the remainder from a mix of local, state and federal sources. The building was formally opened on 2 May 2008 in a ceremony attended by about 200 people. Commercial shipping traffic began calling at the facility on 30 May, when , operated by Bay Ferries, began its seasonal service to

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region. History Originally inhab ...

. Ocean Gateway is also used as rental venue for functions such as weddings, conventions and other public events, a use which grew in importance after ''The Cat'' service was canceled following the 2009 season, which meant a loss to the city of Portland of $150,000 per year in rent which Bay Ferries paid for use of the facility. The city estimated that rentals brought in about $90,000 a year since the ferry service ended. The second phase of the terminal project is Ocean Gateway Pier II, a deep-water pier for large cruise ships that opened in September 2011, allowing more and larger cruise ships to dock in the city.

References

{{coord, 43.6598, -70.2464 , format=dms , region:US-ME_type:landmark , display=title Water transport buildings and structures in Portland, Maine 2008 establishments in Maine Port of Portland (Maine) Transport infrastructure completed in 2008 21st century in Portland, Maine