Environment: Montreal, Seattle

 

The Montreal Port Authority released the main findings of its container terminal project’s environmental impact assessment, which has just been made public by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) and will be the subject of public consultation organized by the CEAA.

 

The MPA has been handling containers for more than 50 years and growth has been nonstop in this business segment. The Viau container terminal, commissioned in 2016, is tangible proof of this sustained growth. When completed, the new terminal will bring the Port's total container handling capacity to 2.1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) on the Island of Montreal. 

 

"This additional port space that will become the Contrecœur container terminal will make it possible to support the growth of this business segment and make the most of the economic and commercial opportunities arising from emerging markets, the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Quebec Maritime Strategy," said Daniel Dagenais, Vice-President, Operations and head of the project at the MPA. 

 

So as the only container port in Quebec and the largest port in Eastern Canada, the Port of Montreal is planning its future development to support growth and enable Quebec and Eastern Canada to stay competitive with the large American ports that are investing massively in their infrastructures. 

 

For several years, the MPA has been planning a container terminal on its land in Contrecœur on Montreal's South Shore, a land reserve it acquired between 1988 and 1992. This is a strategic location for container handling because of its favourable geometry, nearby rail and road networks and the proximity of the markets it serves. In addition to providing flexibility to meet long-term needs, the target site is located in a non-urban area with space available for industrial and logistics development.

 

The project submitted to the CEAA will make it possible, when completed, to handle 1.14 million TEUs per year. 

Of the many components in the project, these are the main ones: 

• Two berths and a container handling area
• An intermodal rail yard connected to the main network
• A truck entry portal connected to the road network
• Support facilities such as buildings for the employees

 

The Port of Seattle is restoring 4.5 acres of habitat along the shoreline of Terminal 5, while getting closer to its goal of removing 90 percent of creosote pilings from its properties. The 2,300 creosote pilings removed leave the Port with around 8,000 remaining out of a total of 18,000 estimated in 2000.

 

"Restoring shoreline habitat and removing creosote pilings is a great way to return natural vitality to our ecosystem," said Commissioner Fred Felleman. "The Port of Seattle is on track to remove thousands more creosote pilings by 2025."

 

Creosote-treated pilings and timbers were used for more than 100 years throughout Puget Sound, as fundamental structural elements in marine cargo and transportation infrastructure. Present-day marine facility piers and docks have replaced creosote construction with inert steel and concrete pilings, and in many instances fender systems requiring no piling have been installed. This benefits wildlife since it requires less structural pilings and less over-water coverage. In addition, older and unused over-water structures and their creosote pilings and dock materials have been removed.

 

Since 1990, the Port has created, restored or enhanced over 100 acres of fish and wildlife habitat in the Green-Duwamish River Watershed and Puget Sound. The Port’s Century Agenda goal for habitat restoration includes the creation of 40 additional acres of fish and wildlife habitat in the Green-Duwamish River Watershed and Elliott Bay. The Port of Seattle currently has three large projects totaling 34 acres in the design/permitting process.

 

The Port’s habitat restoration program, called the PORTfolio, is focused on innovation. The Port is involved in several research/pilot projects with the University of Washington, King County, and a Puget Sound Restoration Fund that will explore new ways to improve habitat. These include the "Floating Wetland Islands" project and Smith Cove Carbon Sequestration Pilot Study.