Dubai-based port operator DP World and the Canadian Prince Rupert Port Authority have signed an agreement to study further expansion of the Fairview Container Terminal in the port.
Canada approved the phase II South expansion of the terminal further to the environmental assessment completed on terminal expansion in 2012 in accordance to the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
Under the feasibility study agreement, DP World will study current marine liner services and container volume growth forecasts for trans-Pacific trade on the West Coast, weighing demand for activation of Fairview’s phase II expansion to align the project schedule with market demand.
Additionally, the agreement included the intention to establish a cohesive and systematic approach to information sharing as well as environmentally sustainable port initiatives.
“Phase II South, which could potentially be delivered within the next three to five years depending on demand, would increase the total capacity of Fairview Container Terminal to in excess of 2 million TEUs, and would provide capacity to meet Canada’s Pacific container terminal capacity requirements for decades to come in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner,” Maksim Mihic, DP World Canada Group General Manager, said.
DP World is the operator of the Fairview Container Terminal and construction is currently underway for the phase II North expansion.
In early 2015, the phase II North expansion project was launched, which will raise the terminal’s capacity to approximately 1.3 million TEUs upon completion in 2017.