Construction on a new USD 20 million (EUR 17.5 million) processing facility has begun in South Boston, Massachusetts.
The new facility broke ground on 31 January during a celebration attended by Boston’s mayor Martin J. Walsh, and city councilors Ed Flynn and Michael Flaherty. The new 50,000 square foot facility – located in the Massport Marine Terminal – is being constructed by Boston Sword and Tuna (BST) to replace a space that the company has outgrown.
“Having our own building in South Boston will have a big impact on how we do business,” Michael Scola, BST president, said to the Boston Herald. “The bigger space will enable us to meet internationally recognized quality standards that will allow us to grow and better serve our customers globally.”
BST’s current space is a 33,000-square-foot facility built in 2001, located at 8 Seafood Way, in the Harbor Seafood Center.
Plans for the new space have been in motion since late 2017, when the company filed a letter of intent with the city. The new site will have 36,000-square-feet of processing space, a test kitchen for product trials, and 10 loading bays. The new facility will also include a catwalk structure to offer a birds-eye view of the facility during tours.
The new building’s design will also make it certifiable to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, according to a release by Massport.
“This development represents a major milestone for the Port of Boston and the city’s maritime history continues to flourish,” acting Massport CEO John Pranckevicius said in a release. “This is just the first of what will be a number of seafood and maritime businesses on this blank canvas section of South Boston. We are delighted to see the Scola family and Boston Sword & Tuna grow their business on the Massport Marine Terminal. The proximity to Logan Airport, the interstate highway, and the Port of Boston make the Massport Marine Terminal a strategic location for future maritime businesses.”
According to BST, the new facility will provide 150 new maritime industrial jobs to the new site, which is currently a vacant space managed by Massport.
“Investing in the working port is essential to keeping these industries vibrant,” Flaherty said to the Boston Herald. “The Scola family has been down on the South Boston waterfront for decades, providing good jobs and great seafood.”
