Maher Terminals Holding Corp., the operator of the Prince Rupert Port Authority’s Fairview Container Terminal, announced March 10 its decision to proceed with expansion of the seven-year-old facility, increasing its container capacity by 500,000 TEUs to accommodate rapidly growing container volumes.
"Intermodal customers have been capitalizing on the advantages of Prince Rupert as part of their transpacific trade solution since Fairview’s first phase opened in 2007," said Port Authority President Don Krusel. "We’re very pleased to see Maher Terminals continue delivering on the vision of fast, reliable container service – while creating new opportunities for the workers, communities, and nations who benefit from this trade gateway."
Since operations began, Fairview Container Terminal has experienced dramatic gains in throughput, from just 16,703 TEUs in 2007 to 618,170 in 2014. Volume jumped 37 percent during the first two months of 2015.
The project will provide a second deep-water berth, four additional gantry cranes, and land reclamation to further expand the container yard. On-dock rail trackage will also be expanded through densification of the current track configuration, which will be supported by a rubber-tired gantry crane operation. Expansion will increase throughput capacity from 750,000 to more than over 1.3 million TEUs annually by mid-2017.
Said Gary Cross, president and chief executive officer of Maher Terminals: "The two-berth, eight-crane operation that the expanded Fairview Container Terminal will provide, together with the intense focus on delivering industry-best dwell times, assures ocean carriers and beneficial cargo owners alike that the Prince Rupert gateway will continue to flourish as a premium service provider by remaining comfortably ahead of demand."
"Today’s announcement affirms the value of the forward-looking investment in Prince Rupert’s original Fairview Terminal conversion project," said Mr. Krusel. "The strategic vision, partnership and alignment of the original partners – Maher, CN, the Governments of Canada and British Columbia, and the Port of Prince Rupert – seized an opportunity that is still paying dividends today."