Canada: Prince Rupert Port, DP World to make west coast supply chains future-proof

Dubai-based port operator DP World and Canada’s Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) have announced updates to several critical infrastructure projects that will make Canada’s west coast more resilient to future supply chain challenges.

Disruptions and congestion experienced during the past year in southern British Columbia and other west coast supply chains have accentuated the need for additional capacity in Prince Rupert.

Progress on the Fairview terminal expansion and related logistics projects are an important milestone in a long-term plan to add significant new capacity to the Prince Rupert Gateway and provide a viable alternative in the event of future disruptions.

“The Prince Rupert Port Authority has worked with DP World and our many other partners to grow Prince Rupert into one of North America’s preferred maritime gateways and add more Canadian trade capacity to the west coast,” Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, said.

“In addition to advancing these critical projects right now, we’ll soon be sharing even larger plans that build on the advantages of northern BC to make Canada’s future supply chains more competitive and resilient.”

Fairview Container Terminal capacity will increase to 1.6 million TEUs this summer and 1.8 TEUs in 2024

The Phase 2B expansion of the Fairview Container Terminal is a response to the rapid growth in container traffic that Prince Rupert has achieved over the last five years.

The first stage of the expansion is now 50 per cent complete and will be finished in July 2022, increasing capacity at the Fairview Container Terminal to 1.6 million TEUs, making it the second-largest container terminal in the country.

The second stage of the expansion is set to be completed in late 2024 and will see the terminal’s capacity grow to 1.8 million TEUs.

“This expansion of the Prince Rupert Gateway will provide the infrastructure necessary to meet increasing trade growth forecasts,” Maksim Mihic, CEO and General Manager of DP World (Canada), explained.

“The Fairview Phase 2B expansion sets Prince Rupert firmly on the path to becoming a leading strategic Canadian logistics hub, custom-built for high-volume intermodal traffic.”

The new Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor is on track to be completed in Q2 of 2022

When complete later this spring, the Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor will reroute container trucks from local transload and customs facilities directly to Fairview Container Terminal.

The road is an integral development for the Port of Prince Rupert’s intermodal eco-system. It improves existing container terminal truck and rail operations by easing traffic congestion, removing wear on provincial and municipal road infrastructure, lowering costs and reducing greenhouse gas and local air emissions through the more efficient routing.

Logistics facilities

Industry has signalled the need for added transloading and warehousing facilities to the Prince Rupert Gateway, and there is an opportunity to increase Prince Rupert’s capacity to containerize and export many of Canada’s key commodities.

To address this need, DP World, Ray-Mont Logistics, and the Prince Rupert Port Authority are in the advanced stages of developing a logistics facility on Ridley Island for exports.

What is more, the Metlakatla Development Corporation and the Prince Rupert Port Authority are also developing an import logistics facility on 34 acres near the Fairview Container Terminal.

The South Kaien Import Logistics Facility, which will be integrated into the Prince Rupert Gateway’s innovative logistics hub, is a critical component of the Port Authority’s plan for even further growth by 2030.