Chafee: Davisville Now Among Largest Auto Importers in North America

Gov. Lincoln Chafee announced that the Port of Davisville has moved up and is now the seventh largest auto importer in North America.

Based on 2011 figures, 150,000 vehicles were imported via the port while another 41,000 came by rail. Located inside the Quonset Business Park, the port was initially used by the military during World War II and is the original home to the Navy’s Construction Battalion — more commonly known as the Seabees.

“The Port of Davisville — as well as the entire Quonset Business Park — is one of Rhode Island’s key assets,” said Chafee. “Last year’s results put us ahead of Boston, Halifax, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Charlestown, Seattle — among others — as one of the premier auto ports on the continent.”

Most vehicles that arrive at the business park are handled by North Atlantic Distribution, Inc. (NORAD) which has been in the park since the 1980s. As one of the largest auto importers in North America, NORAD imports and provides services for major manufacturers including Ford, Subaru, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche and Bentley at Davisville.

In 2011, the Port of Davisville saw more than 200,000 vehicles from these makers imported. According to next year’s projections, the port looks to see more than 265,000 vehicles pass through in 2012. To accommodate the expected growth, Quonset Development Corporation and state officials are looking to make some improvements, including a crane to transfer vehicles off the barges.

Another is a measure supported by Chafee and others to finance $7.5 million from next year’s state budget to dredge the port. For Mike Miranda — owner of NORAD — the dredging is crucial to the future of his company.

“We don’t exist without it,” said Miranda, who also called the Port of Davisville “one of the finest in the country.”

Earlier this month, a port commission comprised of a dozen state legislators recommended that both the ports of Davisville and Providence take on a larger role in the East Cost shipping industry. In its report, the commission suggested that the ports could host cargo barges — but only if the ports were properly dredged. According to Quonset Development Corporation Managing Director Steve King, the Port of Davisville has not been dredged since the state took over the land from the Navy in the late 1970s.

“It’s just long overdue,” said QDC Managing Director Steve King.

Looking ahead to the projected growth of the port, QDC officials and Chafee unveiled a new logo for the Port of Davisville. According to King, it’s part of an effort to create a new identity for the port and Quonset Business Park, separating it from the perception as “the old Quonset base.” Once a bustling Navy port during World War II, Quonset Point’s military operations were shut down in 1971 by President Richard Nixon. Since 2005, the park has been operated by the Quonset Development Corporation and now hosts 165 businesses and employs about 8,800 people.