Massport to electrify South Boston port as cruise ship business grows

That’s why Massport leaders on Friday are unveiling a long-awaited fix: They’ll invest $60 million to install two power units at the terminal that will allow cruise ships to stop idling and belching diesel fumes and instead rely on electric power while docked; the units resemble shipping containers with electrical components inside that will allow them to transfer power from an Eversource substation a few blocks away to the ships. These ships can be docked for hours, and sometimes overnight, often to allow travelers to disembark and take in the local sights. The improvements will be part of a broader $100 million revamp that Massport has planned for the terminal, which opened as the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal in the 1980s in the shell of a former Army base.
The Flynn Cruiseport terminal just cruised to another record year, with 167 ship visits carrying around 480,000 passengers in 2024. But to keep the business expanding, officials at the Massachusetts Port Authority know they should reduce the port’s environmental impact on the nearby South Boston neighborhood.
Boston will be joining several other large cruise ports that have made the switch to what’s called ship-to-shore power, including those in Miami and Seattle, and will be the first in New England to do so.
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New chief executive Rich Davey said Massport has waited to see if the cruise ship industry would adopt cleaner fuels before making the big investment for ship-to-shore power, but the big ships still rely on diesel fuel. The authority also sought a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year that would have subsidized the project, along with upgrades to the terminal building, but recently learned the EPA turned down that request.
Now, Massport is moving ahead with the upgrade on its own, with $48 million in its capital plan, essentially from money the authority will borrow in the form of bonds over the next several years, along with $12 million from an easement settlement tied to the redevelopment of the former Boston Edison power plant, across the Reserved Channel. (The sprawling project adjoins a haul road Massport uses to bring trucks to and from the Conley freight terminal.) The other Cruiseport building upgrades, costing about $40 million, will also be financed through Massport bonds. Those changes will include improvements to the passenger waiting area, more bathrooms, and a new passenger bridge for larger cruise ships.
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“All of that, combined with the ground-shore power, should allow us to become a more attractive port for our cruising customers, and hopefully a more attractive port for our neighbors,” Davey said.
Massport expects a slight drop-off in cruise-ship visits in 2025, with 145 visits predicted, as Norwegian Cruise Line puts at least one of its ships in drydock for repairs, and other ships are moved from East Coast to West Coast routes. But Davey and his team want to prepare the terminal for another increase in business in future years.
Pushing Massport to install electrical hookups for cruise ships has been a longtime goal of the elected officials who represent South Boston.
“We want to make sure, if we were able to continue the growth of the Cruiseport, we’re doing it not in a way that’s going to harm the residents disproportionately, and it’s being done in a way that’s environmentally conscious and sustainable,” said state Senator Nick Collins of South Boston. “[This project] is a great strategic move by Massport and its board and new leadership to send that signal.”
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.