Posted on December 10, 2025
PORTLAND –– The city of Portland is starting the next phase on a major dredging project next week, with the aim of restoring capacity for vessels that has been lost over the years.
“Right now, we’re just trying to claw back the space that we’ve historically had in this waterfront,” said Greg Watson, Portland’s director of housing and economic development.
More than $20 million has been made available for the work, including $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding from the state legislature and up to $6 million from the Maine Department of Transportation. Locally, the City of Portland is paying $4 million and the City of South Portland is contributing $1 million.
Watson said the ultimate goal of the project is to increase both the number of available berths for vessels and larger vessels that need deeper water to berth in the harbor. That includes large-scale cruise ships in the summertime to year-round fishing vessels, he said.
“We want to create the capacity for all of those things to be able to happen within our working waterfront,” he said.
Last year, Watson said, the work began with some small-scale dredging around the Maine State Pier and the Ocean Gateway terminal.
Now, Watson said, the major dredging work begins along the rest of the working waterfront. In all, Watson said he hopes the work will increase available berthing in Portland by 25%. For South Portland, he said, the dredging will benefit local marinas.
The work will run through March 2026, and Watson said more dredging is likely this time next year.
