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• 'Mega-Berth' for Cruise Ships Stalls Progress On Pier Project ; the Portland City Council Will Hold a Workshop to Discuss the Proposal.

The question of whether Portland needs a "mega-berth" to accommodate the world's largest cruise ships has emerged as a central issue in the debate over which development team should be chosen to build on the Maine State Pier. Supporters say the proposed berth - a $6 million floating dock system anchored in deep water off the Ocean Gateway ferry terminal - would help the city attract the next generation of super-sized cruise ships and free up space on the Maine State Pier for more public access and more buildings.

• Portland Press Herald
• September 24, 2007

• Mega-Ships Push Port to Cargo Record

LONG BEACH Cargo surged into and out of the Port of Long Beach in record numbers in 2005, buoyed by the increasing use by China and other Asian traders of giant ships with the capacity to carry 8,000 or more import-stuffed containers each. The mega-ships, defined by their ability to float 8,000 cargo containers or more, visited Long Beach more than 200 times last year, and helped drive a 16 percent increase in the number of containers processed at the port during 2005 compared with the year prior.

• Press Telegram
• January 19, 2006

• EA Ships The Sims Mega Deluxe; The Greatest Compilation of the Top-Selling PC Game of All Time.

• Business Wire
• May 25, 2004

• Small Ships Go Big Time

In a cruise scene dominated by mega-ships that seem almost like cities afloat, small ships set an alternative course. Bound on journeys of serendipitous discoveries, they recapture the original lure of the sea, sailing more for destinations of intrigue and beauty than for action-packed amenities on multiple decks. This year's arrival of the Queen Mary 2, Cunard's flagship ocean liner, redefined large in the industry. The 151,400-ton ship, which can entertain nearly 3,100 passengers with everything from classic theater to a planetarium, established a new record in size for passenger vessels. Among the 2004 fleet of new ships, a half-dozen top 100,000 tons, among them the Caribbean Princess, with 19 decks to accommodate nearly 3,800 passengers. Yet even these ships soon will be eclipsed i...

• The Record, Bergen County, NJ
• November 02, 2004

• City Staff Objects to New Part of Olympia's Pier Plan ; Eliminating 2 Acres of Vehicle Queuing Space Doesn't Work, Staffers Say.

Portland city councilors had new information to digest Monday night as they began considering the latest proposals from two developers competing to develop the Maine State Pier and build a mega-berth for cruise ships at the city's adjacent Ocean Gateway terminal. City staff issued a memo earlier in the day sharply criticizing a plan by Olympia Cos. to eliminate nearly 2 acres of blacktop that has been set aside at Ocean Gateway for vehicles getting on and off The Cat, the high-speed ferry that connects Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

• Portland Press Herald
• October 16, 2007

• Cruise Lines' Behemoths Will Float Many Tourists' Boats

By Arricca Elin Sansone Albany Times Union

• The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA
• April 25, 2010

• Revised Pier Plan Holds Key Changes ; the Olympia Cos. Adds a Mega-Berth and Replaces Two Acres of Pavement with a Park and Marina.

Nearly two acres of blacktop near the city-owned Ocean Gateway terminal would be replaced with a waterfront park and facilities for a marina under plans to be submitted to Portland city officials today by one of the two companies competing to redevelop the adjacent Maine State Pier. Officials from The Olympia Cos. say that removing almost half of the vehicle queuing area that is being built for The Cat, a high- speed ferry to Nova Scotia, would provide more waterfront access and boost the values of nearby properties. The change is part of the company's plan for a so-called mega-berth facility that could accommodate the world's largest cruise ships.

• Portland Press Herald
• October 15, 2007

• The shipping news: start moving freight by water again, and we'll use less oil, emit less carbon, cut highway traffic--and perhaps even save St. Louis.

• Washington Monthly
• Vol. 42 Nbr. 7-8, July 2010

• Pier Proposal Should Keep Moving Forward ; If It Takes an Election to Settle the Matter, That's Fine, but This Opportunity Ought to Be Seized.

Some good news got lost in the disappointment over the City Council's failure to choose a developer for the Maine State Pier on Monday. By a vote of 5-2, the council endorsed the idea of including a new berth at the Ocean Gateway ferry terminal with the redevelopment of the pier and its surrounding property. The "mega berth" will be designed to handle the largest cruise ships, freeing up the pier to serve a variety of smaller vessels.

• Portland Press Herald
• October 17, 2007

• Making waves: islands, developers pull out all the stops to attract giant cruise ships--and all those passengers with cash to spend.

• Latin Trade
• Vol. 18 Nbr. 1, January 2010