For the seventh time in eight years, Quonset’s Port of Davisville had a record-breaking year for auto imports. In 2018, a total of 241,851 vehicles arrived at Davisville by ship, an 8.7% increase from 2017. An additional 38,536 arrived by rail and truck last year.

The Port of Davisville, Rhode Island’s only public port, is consistently recognized as one of the Top Ten Auto Importers in North America. The Port has seen unprecedented growth in the last two decades and now handles a volume of vehicle imports nearly seven times greater than what was imported in 1996.

“We are glad to announce another year of growth at the Port of Davisville,” said Port Director Bob Blackburn. “The new record reflects our commitment to continue this momentum with the upcoming improvements to Pier 2, the ‘workhouse’ of the Port, and continued support from the Quonset Development Corporation.”

The record-breaking was not the only progress at the Port in 2018. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced last year that the Port of Davisville was chosen to join a new maritime highway initiative and awarded an $855,200 federal grant in August 2018 to facilitate the purchase of new shipyard equipment. The updated equipment will ease cargo-handling operations and support the Port’s new role in the marine highway initiative.