Port of Botwood

Botwood, NL · Municipal · Exploits Valley Port Corporation · Bay of Exploits (Notre Dame Bay), north coast of Newfoundland

The Port of Botwood is a naturally deep, ice-free, sheltered harbour at the head of the Bay of Exploits (Notre Dame Bay), reached via roughly 35 miles of sheltered estuary on Newfoundland's north coast. It has been the industrial gateway for central Newfoundland's resource industries since the late 1800s, operating as an international newsprint shipping port for the Grand Falls-Windsor pulp/paper mill from 1911 until the 2009 mill closure, and historically also serving as a petroleum distribution point. The port handles bulk and break-bulk cargo, general cargo and seafood, and is positioned to serve forestry, mining and offshore-oil clients; it is capable of accommodating mid-sized ocean-going vessels. It is currently being revitalized by the Exploits Valley Port Corporation, whose Port of Botwood Wharf Rehabilitation Project (under federal Impact Assessment review as of 2026) would replace deteriorated wharf infrastructure to accommodate ships up to 60,000 deadweight tonnes.