Boston official questions R.I. port prospects.(Rhode Island might find it difficult to build new facilities)

Only days after a major international shipper told the Massachusetts Port Authority that its vessels will no longer call on the Port of Boston, the port director questioned the viability of a container port at Quonset Point/Davisville.

According to a recent Boston Globe article, Maersk-Sealand, a major Danish international shipper will no longer stop at the Port of Boston. The recent decision has left some questioning the viability of the port, which has only one ocean-going steamship line.

Over the past few years millions of dollars have been funneled into the port, which is run by the quasi-public Massachusetts Port Authority for such things as dredging, terminal expansions and infrastructure updates. But the question whether the port remains viable, while it lacks some major components like rail service, lingers.

Still, Port Manager Mike Leone believes, that what he describes as the oldest continually run port in the Western Hemisphere, its history will help it survive.

"We have a solid base and have tried find ways to improve that," he said. "I believe this port is the only full service port in New England. The more services we have the more opportunities we have. It increases the overall competitiveness of the region by providing …