The Port of Prince Rupert on Canada’s west coast in British Columbia and DP World, the terminal operator of the Fairview Container Terminal at the port, agreed on terms of a project development plan that outlines the next phase of expansion at the terminal.
The Fairview Container Terminal is the only container terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert and already is able to handle the world’s current largest containerships.
The next phase of expansion at the terminal, dubbed “Phase 2B,” will increase annual throughput capacity at the terminal to 1.8 million TEUs, the port said.
Construction on Phase 2B will begin in mid-2019 and will be completed in 2022.
“There will be an initial gradual release of capacity to 1.6 million TEUs in 2020, following the completed expansion of the container yard to the south,” the port said.
Phase 2B will expand the container yard from its current 32 hectares to 41 hectares and will add two new rubber-tired gantry cranes, as well as an eighth dock gantry crane. On-dock rail capacity also will be expanded with the addition of 6,680 feet of working track, for a total of 24,680 feet of on-dock rail by 2022.
Commenting on Phase 2B, Port of Prince Rupert Chair Bud Smith said, “This project will provide critical trade-enabling infrastructure for Canada’s west coast, a timely response to forecast growth in transpacific trade and supportive of Canada’s efforts to diversify markets through new free trade agreements such as the CPTPP.”
The last phase of expansion at Fairview Container Terminal, which boosted the terminal’s annual handling capacity from 850,000 TEUs to 1.35 million TEUs, began in the first quarter of 2015 and was completed in August 2017.
The Fairview Container Terminal was the first dedicated intermodal ship-to-rail container terminal in North America when it commenced operations in 2007. Maher Terminal Holding Corp. of New Jersey operated the terminal up until 2015, when DP World Canada purchased the rights to operate the terminal.
Currently, the port is called by four container services that also sail to regions outside North America, two of which are operated by the OCEAN Alliance and one each operated by the 2M Alliance and THE Alliance, according to BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool. All of these services call Asia, and according to the Port of Prince Rupert, the port is North America’s closest port to Asia by as much as three days sailing.
In addition to expansion at the container terminal, the port’s Fairview – Ridley Connector project is currently in the permitting stage and the port is hopeful the project will break ground later this year, Port of Prince Rupert communications coordinator Kris Schumacher told American Shipper Tuesday. The project involves developing a dedicated service road between the south end of the Fairview Container Terminal and the northwest corner of Ridley Island, where the port’s container examination facility is located, as well as export logistics transload facilities for lumber and agriculture.
Overall, the port’s throughput has been on the rise, with total tonnage in 2017 skyrocketing 28 percent year-over-year to 24.1 million metric tons, anchored by 26 percent growth in its intermodal container business and growth of dry bulk cargo volumes.
As the Port of Prince Rupert remains full speed ahead on expansion, on Tuesday it announced that Shaun Stevenson, who currently serves as the port authority’s vice president of trade development and public affairs, has been selected to serve as the port authority’s next president and chief executive officer. The selection is the result of an international search that began in October, following the retirement of President and CEO Don Krusel.
Stevenson has more 20 years of experience at Prince Rupert Port Authority.
“The Port of Prince Rupert’s importance to the country’s trade agenda and economic future has never been more relevant,” Stevenson said. “We have the opportunity to be truly progressive and innovative in our port development plans, and we can’t wait to keep doing our part to build a better Canada.”