Centerm News

A recently completed terminal expansion project at Canada's Port of Vancouver is set to boost capacity amid projected cargo volume growth at the Canadian West Coast seaport.The Construction on the Centerm Expansion Project—delivered by the the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in partnership with terminal operator DP World—allows Centerm to handle 60% more containers by increasing the terminal footprint by 15%. Work completed includes expanding the terminal footprint to the west and east…

Ocean Shipping Consultants' 2016 container traffic report for the west coast of Canada forecasted that container demand through the Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert would be 6.62 million twenty-foot equivalent unit containers (TEUs) by 2030 (base case), with 5.93 million TEUs and 7.53 million TEUs as the low case and high case respectively. The forecast shows continued growth in container trade through the west coast of Canada at a compound annual growth rate of about 4 percent, and reinforces the need for planned increases of capacity to ship goods in containers through the existing Deltaport and Centerm terminals in Vancouver and the Fairview Terminal in Prince Rupert. The report also confirms that the proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project will be needed by the mid-2020s.

Dubai-based port operator DP World has signed a long-term lease agreement for the expansion and operation of the multi-purpose Rodney Container Terminal (RTC) at Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada. The global trade enabler will start running existing operations on 1 January 2017 and work in partnership with the Saint John Port Authority on a planned expansion programme expected to be completed in 2021, with the lease continuing for 30 years after. The Rodney Container Terminal is a multi-purpose terminal handling container traffic in Saint John, the only Atlantic Canada port that is served by the country’s Class I railways, Canada National Railway (CN) and Canada Pacific Railway (CP) and is CP’s only Atlantic gateway port.

DP World has signed a long-term lease agreement for the expansion and operation of the multi-purpose Rodney Container Terminal at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The global trade enabler will start running existing operations on 1 January 2017 and work in partnership with the Saint John Port Authority on a planned expansion programme expected to be completed in 2021, with the lease continuing for 30 years after. The Rodney Container Terminal is a multi-purpose terminal handling container traffic in Saint John, the only Atlantic Canada port that is served by the country’s Class I railways, Canada National Railway (CN) and Canada Pacific Railway (CP) and is CP’s only Atlantic gateway port.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is aware that a public rally has been organized for this weekend by MP Jenny Kwan and community members in opposition to the proposed Centerm Expansion Project. The port authority respects the right of any group to voice concerns and opinions in a public way. A permit application for the project has not yet been submitted to the port authority. A round of public pre-consultation, intended to get early community input to the project design and conducted by an independent consultant, concluded on February 12, 2016, and a summary report has been posted to the project website. If a permit application is submitted for this project…

Funding for the installation of shore power facilities for container vessels at two Port Metro Vancouver container terminals has been announced by Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Canada’s Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Delta-Richmond East, on behalf of Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, and Port Metro Vancouver President and Chief Executive Officer Robin Silvester. Also present for the announcement were partners BC Hydro, Global Container Terminals – operators of Deltaport terminals – and DP World Vancouver, operators of Vancouver’s Centerm.

DP World Limited today announces its agreement to acquire Maher Terminal’s Fairview Container Terminal (Fairview) in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada from Deutsche Bank. Fairview presents growth opportunity in a market with attractive and growing demand. Fairview is a purpose built terminal with an efficient sea-rail link and has a current capacity of 850,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units), with a just-announced Phase 2 expansion that will take capacity to 1.35 million TEU. The concession period runs to 2034 with an extension to 2056 after the completion of Phase 2. consideration payable is C$580 million (US$457 million*) for the total outstanding stock of Fairview on a cash-free, debt-free basis (subject to customary adjustments).

Port Metro Vancouver said on Thursday that operations had resumed at most port facilities shut down by a shipping container fire the day before, but that its Centerm container terminal was still closed. The chemical fire, which prompted a massive emergency response late on Wednesday and shut down a large portion of Canada's biggest port, continued to smolder at the container yard just east of downtown Vancouver. "Fire officials have isolated the fire and continue to monitor the container," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement, adding that there is an 100 meter (330 feet) exclusion zone in place around the burning container. He added that operations had resumed at all other port facilities on the south shore of the Burrard Inlet.

A large portion of Canada's biggest port was shut down on Wednesday after a chemical fire broke out amid numerous shipping containers piled up in a yard east of Vancouver's downtown core. The toxic smoke forced local residents to take shelter inside, while workers at Port Metro Vancouver and in the surrounding area covered their faces with scarves as they streamed out of their offices. By early evening, firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control and residents were allowed to leave their homes, though people were warned to stay away from the port. "Smoke is lessening, but people are encouraged to stay away from the fire area," the City of Vancouver said on its official Twitter account.

A chemical fire at a Vancouver container terminal led to a partial evacuation of Canada’s largest port for several hours Wednesday afternoon, as a cloud of white smoke drifting over the city prompted health warnings and road closures, says Canadian Press. "All south shore of the Burrard inlet port operations have been shut down, including rail and truck access," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement. The burning container contains trichloroisocyanuric acid, a hazardous organic compound commonly used as an industrial disinfectant and bleaching agent, he added. The Port evacuated its Centerm terminal, which is operated by DP World Vancouver, and nearby port properties.

The ongoing risk of a strike or work slowdown at West Coast ports may already be diverting cargo to other distribution methods and setting the stage for broader economic impacts, Fitch Ratings says. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) workers are currently working without a contract and could strike at any time. However, Fitch notes that recent negotiations between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) are said to be amicable, and cargo has been moving through West Coast ports without incident since the expiration of the previous contract on June 30.

Port Metro Vancouver has re-opened its Clark Drive access gate to inbound container trucks destined for the Centerm container terminal. Inbound access had been closed since 2010 due to unacceptable levels of congestion and traffic management issues along Clark Drive and on port property. Until the re-opening, all inbound container trucks entered Port Metro Vancouver’s south shore at Commissioner Street. The re-opening of Clark Drive has been made possible by extensive improvements to Port Metro Vancouver’s roadways intended to increase the fluidity of truck and rail traffic in the region. “Port Metro Vancouver has been working with the City of Vancouver towards the common goal of re-opening the Clark Drive access…

In the fourth quarter of 2008, TMEIC GE’s Maxview Smart Landing system entered service on a new ship-to-shore crane at Vancouver’s Centerm container terminal, operated by DP World (Canada) Inc. Operational data from the first 15 months proves that the semi-automatic system has met the company’s performance goals for preventing high-speed landings, which translates into reduced down-time and dollars saved. Performance results show that on average, when the Maxview Smart Landing system was in use…

P&O Ports has signed an agreement to acquire two businesses from BCR Marine in Canada for CDN$105 million. The assets concerned are the CASCO container terminal (Centerm) in Vancouver and Canadian Stevedoring, which offers cargo handling services in ports throughout British Columbia. It is P&O Ports' first venture into the Canadian market and its first acquisition on the West Coast of North America. Completion of the transaction is anticipated in the first quarter of 2003. Vancouver is one of the fastest growing container ports on the West Coast of North America and has established a strong competitive position. It benefits from good intermodal links into both Canada and the US.