The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has awarded a long-term lease of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) to Red Hook Terminals and Industry City.

Under the Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT) partnership, Red Hook Terminals and Industry City will develop the 65 acre (26.3 ha) site into a “vibrant cluster of industrial maritime activity”, said Red hook.

"The SBMT is a critical infrastructure and economic asset to the City of New York and the partnership achieved will bring the site to its full potential,” said Mike Stamatis, president and ceo of Red Hook Terminals.

“The reactivation of the terminal will bring hundreds of new jobs to and promote green infrastructure in Sunset Park, while bolstering maritime activity along the Brooklyn waterfront where the sector has generated economic opportunity for generations,” he added.

With a long-term lease through to 2054, SBMT expects tomove over 900,000 tonnes of material through the port annually.

Specific new uses for the facility include waste paper recycling and export; the importation of lumber, salt, and aggregate material; container-on barge-operations; ro-ro and project cargo handling; among other activitiesthat will support local businesses.

Operations at the terminal have already begun, with Red Hook handling components for the New York Wheel, which it claims will be the largest Ferris wheel in the world.

According to Red Hook, the SSBMT partnership will grow the number of on site permanent jobs to more than 1,000 over the lease term. Job growth is expected in construction, warehousing and distribution,wind turbine manufacturing, as well as other maritime related industries and uses.

www.redhookterminals.com