Marine Industrial Park
Named Mortier Bay until 1901, Marystown was first settled because of its proximity to abundant fishing grounds, good farm land, and the availability of timber. Early settlers were also attracted to the area because of its ideal harbour which is considered to be one of the largest ice-free harbours in eastern North America. The deep-water, ice-free harbour, coupled with the location of the port, led to a strategic role for the area during World War II. The only Newfoundland warships were built in Marystown and the area was a focal point for the British Navy.
Incorporated in 1951, Marystown has always been an industrious town and has, for several years, set a goal to plan for and take advantage of opportunities in the industrial marine sector. In early 2003, the Marystown Port authority Steering Committee was formed and with the assistance from the Federal and Provincial Governments, the plan was put in place to invest in the harbour by building one of the most modern and efficient marine industrial parks in Eastern Canada.
The Marine Industrial Park, located on Kaetlyn Osmond Drive off McGettigan Boulevard/Route 210, consists of twenty fully serviced lots, including water and sewer services (complete with sewage treatment through a blivet system), electricity and communication services. The main road through the park is completely paved.
The Marine Industrial Park:
- has a depth of 30m (90ft) near shore
- is ice-free, dredge-free and has excellent berthage potential
- is located approximately 11km from the nearest airstrip in Winterland and approximately 305km from the international airport in St. John’s
- is located strategically between European and North American trading blocs
- has some of the shortest shipping routes between points in North America, Europe and the Arctic
- is well-suited to support heavy industrial and commercial development
- is home to Grieg Seafood hatchery and supporting businesses
For more information on the Marine Industrial Park, please contact :
Aquaculture
In 2014, Council began construction on a new Recreation Complex which would be the Province’s first LEED Gold building and would utilize, amongst other features, a state-of-the-art geothermal heating system.
That same year, the geothermal wells for the recreation complex were drilled. Around that time, Grieg Seafood was scouting Newfoundland for the ideal location for a salmon hatchery. It was pure happenstance that officials with Grieg Seafood heard about the discovery of water that was just minutes from the Town’s new Marine Industrial Park. Following discussions with Council on their proposal for a hatchery, Grieg Seafood engaged a drilling company to drill a test well adjacent to the Recreation Complex and sent samples for testing.
The analysis showed that the source of the water is a volcanic basalt type aquifer that covers a large area. The test well itself produced unique water suitable for a salmon hatchery at an extraordinary rate of approximately 1208 L/min or 319 gal/min.
For more information on Aquaculture partnerships, visit: AKVA Group, Aqua Sol, and Scale AQ
Getting Started
On September 14, 2018, Grieg NL officially launched the company’s $250 million aquaculture project with support from both the Federal and Provincial Governments and consisting of a land-based hatchery in the Town’s Marine Industrial Park and eleven marine-based sites in Placentia Bay. When finished, the hatchery will be the largest in Canada and one of the largest hatcheries in the world.
In September 2019, eighteen months after negotiations started, Marbase Marystown Inc., with assistance from the Town, purchased the Marystown Shipyard from Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co. and plans are underway to transform the building, which had been idle for four years before being purchased, into a multi-faceted cold water aquaculture service hub supplying the aquaculture industry. There are also plans to construct the first lumpfish hatchery in Canada.
Marystown’s future has never looked brighter…and it all began with the serendipitous discovery of water!