HANSA 03-2018

Häfen | Ports
Vancouver has grown rapdily in the last five years
Photo: Port of Vancouver
Growth prospects under the maple leaf
Many Canadian ports prepare for growth. The »new« policy further south beyond the U.S.
border causes worries and a glimmer of hope at the same time. Canadian Ports are not
merely eying their southern neighbours but are fully aware of the prospects beyond the
oceans to the East and West. By Michael Meyer
Speaking to HANSA, Wendy Zatylny,
President of the Association of Canadian
Port Authorities (ACPA), explains:
»Although it is difficult to say with certainty
what prospects are, given growing
nationalism and protectionism, currently
prospects for Europe and Asia are
positive and balance the uncertainty in
trade with the U.S.« Trade with Asia, due
to demand for agricultural products and
natural resources, combined with trade
agreements such as the Comprehensive
and Economic Trade Agreement with the
EU, the Canada-South Korea Free Trade
Agreement and the recently signed Trans
Pacific Partnership (TPP), should provide
the basis for growth in trade, Zatylny
thinks. »We do expect CETA to increase
transatlantic trade between Canada and
the EU.« Canadian ports are developing
facilities to meet anticipated demand.
Trade with the U.S. has always been very
strong – in fact the strongest trading relationship
in the world – thanks in large
part to the 30-year-old North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). However,
»this trade relationship is uncertain
due to the current renegotiation of NAF-
TA and the protectionist polices of the
current U.S. regime.«
U.S. trade policy and domestic environmental
regulations are making Canadian
ports a very attractive option for
trade with North America, she explains.
In fact, Canadian ports may benefit from
the uncertain climate in the US and the
lowering of environmental and labour
rules and regulations which could fall
below required global standards for marine
and environmental regulations. In
addition, in the eye of the association, the
proximity of western ports to Asia combined
with rail and truck linkages will
also make these hubs competitive compared
to US ports.
However, a potential challenge to Canada
is that of a »thickening« of the border
with the U.S., hence slowing down trade
fluidity. Zatylny hopes that earlier joint
Canada/U.S. »Beyond the Border« initiatives
have been institutionalized and will
prevent border friction. Commenting on
global seaway developments, ACPA says,
the expanded Panama Canal is having a
positive impact on east coast port business.
Specifically, Halifax may enjoy increased
north-south trade through Panama. The
other factor to consider is the widening of
the Suez Canal which may also lead to increased
traffic to Halifax/Montreal.
Nevertheless, Zatylny sees a number
of challenges that ports face: »They have
significant deferred maintenance needs
as well as demand for capital to innovate
and expand and current funding
from the Federal Government is oversubscribed
and not targeted to ports specifically.«
The country’s most dominant port,
Vancouver, responds to future tasks involving
the following projects:
The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2):
This is a proposed new three-ship container
terminal. The project would provide
2.4 mill. TEU of capacity and is
needed to meet forecasted demand.
The proposed Centerm Expansion Project
is part of the port authority’s longterm
strategy. The proposed expansion
looks to increase the capacity by approximately
two-thirds. The Deltaport Termi-
82 HANSA International Maritime Journal – 155. Jahrgang – 2018 – Nr. 3