Portsmouth is an Established
Hub of Global Trade

One of the key resources for continued economic growth for the Seacoast is the region's ability to capitalize on and expand its excellent transportation facilities at Pease International Tradeport, Airport and the Division  of Ports and Harbors (Port).

The closure of Pease Air Force Base in 1991, perceived to be a severe blow initially, has provided a rare opportunity for New Hampshire to oversee the integrated development of Pease International Tradeport as both a commercial airport and a unique economic development project.

Meanwhile, the Port, which traces its lineage to the 17th century, has completed an ambitious expansion project that has increased the Port's trade capabilities. 

Together, Pease and the Port have created a window of opportunity that looks toward a bright future for the Seacoast. Aviation first came to the New Hampshire Seacoast shortly after World War I. Using Portsmouth Fair Grounds as their airport, pilots barnstormed their way into the area in 1919 by providing airplane rides to local residents. Early in the 1930s, Portsmouth built a 300-acre airport, and one of its first commercial users was Northeast Airlines. With the onset of World War II, the airport was used by the U.S. Navy.

In 1951, the U.S. Air Force chose Portsmouth Airport as the prime location to build an air base, and Portsmouth AFB (as it was known then) opened in 1956. In 1957, the Air Force dedicated and renamed the base in honor of World War II B-17 pilot Capt. Harl Pease, Jr., who had posthumously earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Pacific theater. Over the years, Pease AFB was host to two Strategic Air Command units: the 100th Bomb Wing (BMW) from 1956 to 1966 and the 509th BMW, which came to Pease in 1958.

Pease was included on the Department of Defense's 1988 base realignments and closures list with a closure date of March 31, 1991. In April of 1989, the State Legislature established the Pease Redevelopment Commission (PRC). To plan for the base closure and redevelopment in 1990, the commission approved the Pease Comprehensive Redevelopment Plan, which envisioned an international aviation hub in concert with high-technology industrial development. This plan made excellent use of an 11,300-foot runway in close proximity to an excellent multi-modal transportation system comprised of the Port, major highways and rail access.

To implement the plan and to acquire property from the Air Force, the New Hampshire legislature and the Office of the Attorney General drafted a law creating the Pease Development Authority (PDA). Charged with bringing industry and jobs to the former Pease Air Force Base, the PDA is guided by an overall mission that recognizes the priorities of balancing development while preserving New Hampshire's quality of life and environment. Pease International Airport opened for civilian use through an Airfield Joint Use Agreement with the Air Force on July 19, 1991.

On April 14, 1992, the Air Force and the PDA signed the Airport Public Benefit Transfer Application and Lease of Airport Property (55-year "master" lease), which included 1,702 acres for the purpose of developing a public airport. In just two years, the PDA proved itself successful in bringing aviation and non-aviation-related industry to the Tradeport. The final 1,300 acres were transferred in July 1997.

The Pease Development Authority has seen consistently high development over the past five years at the Pease International Tradeport, which hosts more than 200 tenants, an excess of 3.9 million square feet of new construction or newly renovated space and some 5100 employees.

The Pease International Airport terminal, complete with Federal Inspection Services (customs, immigration and agriculture) facilitates domestic and international passenger and charter airline service. Additionally, the airport supports air cargo operations, general aviation and corporate aviation with fixed-base operator services, forging a new link in New Hampshire global trade, travel and tourism markets. Today, Gilford Transportation Industries (owners of Pan American Airways) has its corporate headquarters at Pease International Tradeport where Boston & Maine Airways provides service to domestic destinations, Canada and Caribbean Islands. Port City Air and Pan American Services provide fixed-base operator services for general and corporate aviation operations at the Tradeport and Seacoast Aviation operates out of the 50,000 square-foot Air Cargo at Pease facility.

Pease is home to many corporate and private aircraft on the runway apron. Great Bay Aviation, Carlisle Air, and Fisher Scientific, a Hampton-based Fortune 500 company, has kept their corporate aircraft at Pease since 1991 in one of the 28,000 square foot hangars.

The New Hampshire Air National Guard's 157th Air Refueling Group, which operates 10, KC-135R aerial refueling tankers out of Pease, shares the airfield. The NHANG contributes funding and airfield services, such as the Pease Fire Department and contracted 24-hour tower service, to the overall operations at the airport.

Land-side developments have also been a success at Pease International Tradeport. Major contributors to the millions of square feet recently constructed are companies such as Two International Group, Aprisma and Bottomline Technologies. Lonza Biologics, a tenant at the Tradeport since 1993, has recently expanded its original 73,000 square feet to a total of 355,000 square feet.

Paddy's-An American Grill, The Green Bean (at the NH Technical College) and Bell Peppers Too (1 New Hampshire Avenue) and the new International Marketplace at Pease with 42,000 square feet of retail and professional offices serve the Tradeport's growing clientele breakfast, lunch and dinner. They join Redhook Ale Brewery, a micro-brewery and public ale house, and the Marriott Residence Inn in providing travelers and Tradeport tenants with overnight accommodations and dining facilities. First Signature Bank and Trust, TD Banknorth and Service Credit Union support the banking needs of the Tradeport while Allegra Print and Imaging and Portsmouth Copy and Blueprint offer a host of copying services.

The Pease Golf Course, a public course popular with local golfers, added nine holes in the Spring of 2002 and now has a total of 27 holes. The Tradeport's successful development and sustained growth is due in large part to the PDA's efforts to attract diversified businesses such as high-tech, education, manufacturing, telecommunications and research and development, just to name a few.

The Tradeport's south entrance features direct access to Interstate 95, a park-and-ride area, bus terminal and free trolley service for airport passengers destined for the Marriott Residence Inn, the bus terminal and downtown Portsmouth. The service is provided by COAST Transportation in cooperation with the Pease Development Authority and the City of Portsmouth.

The face of the Pease International Tradeport is constantly changing. The PDA has only 75 acres of land available for new construction and approximately 110 acres left to develop on the airport proper. However,
demolition of old facilities and renovation of existing structures continues at a rapid pace.

The PDA is aggressively focusing on development of the international air charter and passenger service. The airport's 11,300-foot runway is capable of landing the largest aircraft in the world and meeting the travel and tourism industry's needs for an alternative to overcrowded airports. Pease is strategically located on New Hampshire's seacoast and offers easy access to beaches, lakes, mountains, shopping and is within a short commute to the neighboring states of Maine and Massachusetts.

Pease International Tradeport offers businesses industrial and office space, aviation cargo space within a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), and the convenience of free parking and transportation from the Tradeport to downtown Portsmouth said George Bald, executive director of the PDA. "Our aim is to provide quality development resources to business and ease of travel for the travel and tourism markets. Our 11,300 foot runway, Interstate 95 and the Division of Ports and Harbors and rail all combine to make our region one of the most dynamic development areas in the country."

Division of Ports and Harbors

On July 1, 2001 the New Hampshire legislature transferred the management and operations of the Port to the Pease Development Authority as the Division of Ports and Harbors (DPH). DPH has a proud heritage as a working harbor, spanning 300 years of service to the shipping community, and is distinguished as one of the oldest working ports in the United States.

The Piscataqua River Basin's recorded seafaring history began with a visit in 1603 by English explorer Martin Pring and witnessed tremendous activity in the following three centuries. Throughout the Revolutionary War, World War I and World War II, and amid major historical and cultural changes, Portsmouth Harbor grew to support a thriving international trade business. As communities were settled along the banks of the Piscataqua, and businesses flourished along New Hampshire's Seacoast, the port became recognized internationally as a prime industrial shipping center.

In March 2004, the legislature transferred commercial fishing piers and recreational piers to the DPH. DPH continues to assist the Commercial Fishing industry by providing facilities for fishing vessels and by
providing financial assistance through the Revolving Loan Fund. Recreational facilities exist for boat launching, party boat fishing and whale watches.

The PDA's intent is to continue to develop and manage the state's port terminal and tidal waters in a way that stimulates commerce and the shipment of freight through the port, and to cooperate with other state and federal government agencies in the planning, maintenance, development and use of the port, harbors and navigable rivers. The PDA oversees and fosters harbor management, port development, port marketing, trade development and Foreign Trade Zone operation.

Today, activity at the port includes pleasure boating, sport, and commercial fishing, and cruise ship visits, in addition to bulk and general cargo transport from points around the world. The port's strategic location makes it ideal for import and export operations with European trading partners as well as businesses in the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific Rim.

The port is ice-free year-round and is the closest ice-free port to Europe, with a clear
3-mile transit from the sea buoy 2KR to the dock. There is also full rail service to the port and many other private facilities nearby, and access to Interstate Highway 95 is only a half-mile away. The port channel is 35 feet (salt water) MLW and has bridge clearances between 135 and 150 feet.

The present facility consists of 11 acres of waterside open storage and a 600-foot concrete and steel wharf with 35 feet of draft. The wharf can accommodate vessels of up to 750 feet LOA. There is also a 312-foot barge and container pier on site.

Vessels of all types have put in at the port, including general-purpose liners, bulk carriers, passenger ships, container carriers, feeder vessels, barges and US. Navy ships. The port also features ample supplies of fresh water, stores, bunkers, telephones and its own heliport site.

The DPH is the grantee of Foreign Trade Zone #81 with five nearby sites. The port itself has 10 acres within the FTZ including 50,000 square feet of warehouse space for display and processing
operations. Sub-zones also remain active in the state.

Corporations and businesses in the region recognize the value of the DPH as a resource. Sprague Energy in Newington handles a variety of cargo including oil, asphalt, salt, cement and ore products. Sea 3, Inc. imports propane gas, a vital resource to the region. Commercial non-industrial users of the port include two tour boat operators, military vessels, environmental research vessels and boat charters.

The DPH has diversified cargo shipped in and out of the terminal and is looking to increase economic development to the region by stimulating commerce.

Other improvements already completed at the facility include the resurfacing of the Port's 600-foot pier and the installation of new fenders and bollards. The facility's bulk storage and parking areas were recently paved, and the terminal scale has been increased from 60 to 70 feet.

New Hampshire's skilled workers produce some of the highest quality manufactured products in the world. The ability to bring these products to a global market is essential, and the port's public docks provide the deep draft ocean access shippers need to carry our products to the world.