Press Release  MassDEP Launches Real-Time Ocean Monitoring in Boston Harbor to Aid Navigation and Prevent Oil Spills 

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) today announced the successful installation of a new horizontal current meter station and a meteorological station in Boston Harbor, located at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Paul W. Conley Container Terminal. 

This equipment marks a major milestone in establishing a Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) network for the Port of Boston. The Boston Harbor PORTS station will provide continuous, real-time data on currents, winds, air temperature, and barometric pressure — delivering critical situational awareness for commercial vessel pilots, port operators, emergency responders, oil spill response teams, and recreational users.

“Marine oil spills can be catastrophic for humans and habitat alike and can be tremendously costly to rebuild and recover from,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “The newly commissioned Boston Harbor PORTS station will provide an important new resource for commercial vessel pilots, port operators, and recreational watercraft users to help prevent groundings and collisions and mitigate oil releases in the Port of Boston.”

“Thank you to MassDEP for providing the critical tools we need to ensure safe navigation into Boston Harbor,” said Boston Harbor Docking Pilot President William F. Potter. “The real-time data on the Boston Harbor PORTS system will provide valuable information necessary for safe navigation in the harbor, especially as Boston Harbor supports increased traffic and larger cargo vessels. The availability of this real time data will have an immediate positive impact and prevent collisions and groundings in the harbor.”

The Boston Harbor PORTS project was made possible through a partnership between MassDEP’s Marine Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (MOSPRA) Program and the National Ocean Service (NOS), a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The MOSPRA Program was established following the 2003 Bouchard oil spill in Buzzards Bay to protect the Massachusetts coastline from contamination of the marine environment through spill prevention and response efforts.

For additional information on NOAA’s PORTS program, including the newly commissioned Boston Harbor PORTS station, please visit NOAA’s Tides and Currents website. 

Data from the Boston Harbor PORTS station is available to the public and can be accessed online.

###