By William Scriber, CEO, Executive Director, Port of Oswego Authority
OSWEGO, NY – The growing positive economic, cultural, and recreational impacts of the Port of Oswego—the state’s only port on Lake Ontario— is vital to our economic prosperity and would be a coveted asset by any community in our country.
While some may discount the port’s significance or take it for granted, the Port of Oswego has steadily grown and increased its dominance as a jobs and commerce generator, contributing more than a $half-billion economic impact each year to the region. During that time, we’ve had record years in cargo tonnage, and handled everything from aluminum and grain to massive wind turbine components and specialty industrial freight for local utilities and industries.
The Port of Baltimore’s recent, tragic bridge collapse points out the indispensable role of ports and reinforces the fact that 85% of all goods in the U.S. are moved by ship—an irreplaceable role in facilitating international trade. Globally, some 11 billion tons of goods are transported by ship each year. The bridge collapse shut down the port and radically disrupted the supply chain and froze activity on the $100 billion of goods and services that the Port of Baltimore handles. The supply chain never sleeps, and the world economy has an insatiable appetite for products. That disruption cost the port’s customers huge amounts of money, and both they and consumers will feel the effects for months to come.
In the 1980s, the Port of Oswego played an important role in helping national security and the U.S. Army when shipping was temporarily disrupted by water transit access because we are a deep-water port, Oswego was selected and able to receive a critical shipment of Army vehicles. Once in port, they were loaded on trucks and delivered to their destination.
Despite all that activity, some people have the impression that we are simply a port with an annual parade of ships going in and out of Oswego from April through November.
We are so much more than that.
When the Port of Oswego Authority was established nearly 70 years ago, it assumed a role far beyond shipping. It is our mission and legislative mandate to facilitate commercial, industrial, recreational and historical activity within the Oswego Port District, which by state law encompasses all of the city of Oswego and the Town of Scriba. No port has gone through as much investment and expansion as we have in the past five years, over 26 million dollars—and not just for shipping growth and product handling. We recently completed the $2 million Goble marina with 24 slips, modern docks, and remodeled bathroom facilities—all within walking distance to downtown Oswego businesses and attractions. It even includes a docking area for the H. Lee White Museum’s boat for lighthouse tours. The Port also owns the Oswego Marina, home to 24 charter fishing captains. Research by the Oswego County Department of Community Development of Tourism and Planning in 2008 concluded that each charter boat has an annual community economic impact of $70,000. In today’s dollars, that’s $96,337 per charter boat. With 24 charter boats in the marina, that’s an annual impact to Oswego of more than $2 million from charter fishing from our marina alone. In addition, 14 companies call Port Oswego home for both domestic and international operations.
We are also proud of our new $15 million grain export center, its USDA lab, and the 100-plus area farmers we serve each season. This lab is operated in a joint agreement with SUNY Oswego giving students real life experience in the operation of a state-of-the-art lab grading and testing grain. It has enabled us to grow our business by leaps and bounds and made us a major player in commerce on the Great Lakes. With the recent Federal award of $4 million for rail upgrades and a new, $2 million, state-of-the-art telescoping conveyor, the Port will be able to dramatically raise its grain ship loading speed from 18,000 bushels an hour to at least 30,000 bushels an hour.
We have a solid partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who have taken the lead on deepening our harbor and repairing our break wall.
We led the effort to secure $35 million to repair the entire harbor break wall, which includes repairs to the iconic West Pierhead Lighthouse. We stepped up and ensured that funding for the lighthouse repairs—though not required—was included in this funding because of its priceless value to our community and part of our mission to promote and preserve local history. These improvements will avert a crisis in harbor integrity and any disruption of port traffic.
The growth of the Port of Oswego and the City of Oswego are inextricably tied together in history. Over the years, the port’s growth has augmented the city’s growth.
In 1799, Oswego was designated the first freshwater port in the United States and eventually became known as the Port City. In the early 1800s, after the Welland Canal connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie was completed, barges from the middle of North America were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes. During the industrial boom in the early 20th century, the region grew into a hub for industrial output and production. Oswego and its port shared the benefits of that growth. When the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in the 1950s, Oswego’s role loomed even larger as it became easier to transport large quantities of cargo from the Great Lakes to the rest of the world.
According to Clear Seas, a Canadian not-for-profit organization that provides independent fact-based information for governments, industry and the public to make decisions on marine shipping issues, between 35 to 40 million tons of cargo is transported along the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway every year. A large portion of that cargo is destined for Oswego. With that cargo comes well-paid jobs and an uptick in spending in the local community on hospitality, goods and services every time a vessel visits us.
A point that is often missed or misunderstood, however, is that the port is self-sustaining which means we do not receive tax dollars but operate as a business with revenue used to pay employees, buy equipment and supplies, insurance and all the rest that a normal business does. All revenue supports our operation and is re-invested in port facilities, services and most importantly… jobs.
As a key player in shaping the future of Oswego and our region, our success has not gone unnoticed.
In 2023, the port was named a 2023 CenterState Economic Champion for its contributions to economic development in Central New York, and for the fourth time in the past five years, the port received the Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award for increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through the port in 2022. In fact, since 2021 our cargo has increased 26.6 percent creating a major impact on local jobs.
As mentioned earlier, the port was also recognized last year by a U.S./Canadian research study showing that, the Port of Oswego Authority has grown to a $513 million impact on the local and regional economy and supported 2229 jobs by its maritime activity. During this time, the port generated $201.2 million in wages, salaries, and local consumption expenditures for the regional economy.
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation designated us—one of only 32 in the United States—as a Marine Highway. This designation makes the Port of Oswego a key logistics partner in the Great Lakes shipping industry. We are the first deep draft harbor on the Great Lakes and the only New York State port on Lake Ontario that can unload international tonnage without passing through the Welland Canal.
The Port continues to grow and move forward in fulfilling its mission.
We recently invested in a state-of the art container stacker which will allow us to add handling container ships to our capabilities. In 2023, we were awarded $5 million in grants to purchase an all-electric rail engine and make major expansions to rail service at our Fitzgibbons Intermodal Terminal which includes construction of a fifth storage track, making the Port the largest operating yard in Oswego County. Last year, we became a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), with the ability to save customers money on duties and tariffs on goods arriving by boat, truck or rail.
These accomplishments are a source of pride for the men and women who work at the Port, as well as for the City of Oswego and our local communities. The Port of Oswego plays an indispensable role in the well-being of our residents—economically, recreationally and historically— and is perfectly positioned as a key player in handling components and materials shipped here from overseas for the construction of the massive Micron facility in Clay and to support Oswego’s nuclear power plants. In fact, transport by ship is the only way to get many of those specialized cargos here.
Last year, our board president reached out to the city and its leaders to form an advisory committee to initiate an ongoing dialogue on plans that affect both business at the port and the Oswego community. This has never been done before and demonstrates our commitment to keeping the lines of communication open. Working together will only make our community stronger.
Our board and our employee team are dedicated to building a vital, robust economy in Oswego and in our region, while expanding our role as a leader in maritime commerce in New York and on the Great Lakes.
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