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LUBEC, Maine — Early on Feb. 10, Cooke Aquaculture’s Ocean Provider collided with Lubec’s newly rebuilt commercial pier, damaging three of the recently installed pilings.
A 14‑inch piling buckled under the impact, and two 12‑inch pilings cracked, according to Ralph Dennison, the harbormaster.
Dennison said Cooke Aquaculture has already agreed to pay for the repairs. The company did not respond to inquiries in time to appear in this article.
The Ocean Provider is a steel‑hulled boat about 80 feet long and owned by Cooke Aquaculture, which uses it to serve fish farms on both sides of the border in Cobscook Bay.
The pilings were damaged when the boat attempted to dock at the commercial pier at about 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 10.
Dennison said a strong northwest wind and the tide would have made docking maneuvers difficult that morning, and speculated that the boat would have had to “come in hot.”
He said a fisherman contacted him to report the damage, and surveillance camera footage later confirmed the Ocean Provider as responsible.
Dennison emphasized the good relations the town has with Cooke and expressed appreciation for the support the company has provided, including allowing the use of its floats to launch fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Cooke Aquaculture’s boats use the customs station between Lubec and Campobello when they cross the border and tie up in Lubec. The Campobello station is open 24 hours a day.
Going forward, Dennison said Cooke Aquaculture is making arrangements to use the Eastport customs station, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Repairs to the pier, which Dennison said was originally built in 1978, were completed just last month.
The new damage is limited to the three pilings on the western corner of the pier, and Dennison said the remainder of the pier — including the eastern end with the hoist — will remain available for fishers while repairs are underway. He said about 30 to 40 boats in the local fishing fleet regularly use the pier for landings.
The town already has an expedited repair request in to Prock Marine Co. of Rockland, the same company that recently finished repairing storm damage from the winters of 2023 and 2024.
The repairs were paid for with Federal Emergency Management Agency funding and a Working Waterfront Resiliency Grant.
At its meeting last Thursday night, the Lubec Board of Selectmen approved a measure to restrict vessel length at the commercial pier to 60 feet or less, with exceptions for emergencies and for town, state or federal vessels on official business.
Violators may have their docking privileges revoked and their vessels removed by the town.
Plans were made to paint the new vessel‑length limit on the pier’s north‑facing concrete wall.
The Board of Selectmen also approved a bid from Over the Top Builders, a construction company based in Trescott Township, to replace the ramp at the Town Office using composite lumber.
