Area Development
New York City Economic Development Corporation reported the city will reactivate the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal as a major shipping hub that will create over 250 quality jobs in the near-term, with potential for significant growth.

The Bill de Blasio Administration selected industry leaders Red Hook Container Terminal and Industry City to operate the Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, as a “vibrant cluster of maritime activity that will bring new industrial uses to the South Brooklyn waterfront."

According to city economic development officials, with a long-term lease through 2054 SSBMT will reactivate 64.5 acres of the terminal, moving over 900,000 metric tons of material annually through the port and eliminating over 11,000 truck trips a year.

Specific new uses for the facility include waste paper recycling and export, the importation of lumber, salt, and aggregate material, container-on barge-operations, and project cargo, among other activity that will support local businesses, New York Harbor and the regional waterfront. Red Hook Container Terminal will serve as the terminal operator and stevedore for SSBMT.

SSBMT has committed to establishing an on-site workforce development center to connect local talent to quality maritime jobs. The center will leverage the Industry City Innovation Lab’s network of local partners, which includes CUNY City Tech, Kingsborough CC, Brooklyn Workforce Innovation, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, and Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation.

“New York City’s working waterfront has long been a source of economic vitality, fueling industries and good-paying careers for over a century. Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will build on that legacy to advance the future of the New York Harbor,” said NYCEDC President & CEO James Patchett. “Thanks to the vision of our local leaders and the Sunset Park Task Force, this Administration is proud to deliver a transformative maritime facility that will create new opportunities for industries, local businesses, and New Yorkers.”

“Today’s announcement of the selection of Red Hook Container Terminal group to operate the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, is a momentous step in the revitalization of the Brooklyn waterfront and the first step in the phased development of constructing a major deep-water container port centered at SBMT,” said U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

The City has already invested over $115 million to modernize SBMT and is interested in the long-term phased development of a deep water container port in New York’s harbor. The reactivation of SBMT is a critical first step towards that goal. With reactivated industrial infrastructure and connection to the city’s freight and distribution system, SSBMT is a key component to strengthening the South Brooklyn working waterfront, and will help grow the area’s existing industrial ecosystem, city officials said.

SSBMT will build on the ecosystem of industrial assets in Sunset Park. Between the Brooklyn Army Terminal, The Made in NY Campus at Bush Terminal and the Brooklyn Wholesale Meat Market, this ecosystem currently includes 4.2 million square feet of leasable space and is home to more than 165 companies that provide approximately 5,000 permanent jobs.