HANSA 03-2018

Häfen | Ports
nal, Road and Rail Improvement includes
a series of improvements to increase efficiency
and capacity.
According to the port authority, Vancouver
is strategically located as a major
Asia-Pacific gateway and connected to
key markets in North America through
three Class I railways CN, CP and BNSF.
A spokesperson tells HANSA, Vancouver
has grown by roughly 30 mill. t in the
last five years. »We expect this to happen
again in the next five years or so.«
In the first six months of 2017 alone,
overall cargo throughput increased by
4% to 69 mill. t with mid-year records
in bulk grain and containers. Container
quantities increased by 9.6% to a record
1.6 mill. TEUs. Strong overseas demand
for Canadian grain products resulted in
a steep increase in wheat, canola and specialty
crop exports, which include pulses
and lentils (up 55%). Bulk cargoes
are of high importance for the port. In
2016 alone, these made up 69% of total
port cargo.
The spokesperson adds that these volumes
are expected to grow at a faster rate
than total cargo at the port. She adds,
»Land is constrained here in the Lower
Mainland and we are doing what we
can to make current port operations as
efficient as possible and advocate for the
preservation of industrial land.«
In Halifax on the East Coast, containerized
cargo growth continues. In 2017 the
volume was 559,242 TEUs, up 16% and up
34% compared to 2016 and 2015 respectively,
according to the port authority. It
is the highest volume for a single year. Total
cargo tonnage through HPA facilities
was 5.01 mill. t, up 12%. Spokesman Lane
Ferguson tells HANSA, that the port will
continue to focus on velocity, specifically
working to improve upon dwell and truck
processing times, and moving vessels on
and off the berth without delay. Also on
the agenda are technology improvements
as the port prepares for block chain applications
and working with partners on
further development of feeder hub services
for the New England states.
According to Ferguson, »Halifax is
able to berth and service vessels up to
16,000 TEUs. The South End Container
Terminal has unobstructed ocean access,
16 m depth, 660 m continuous berth,
2,400 m double-stack on-dock rail and
super post-Panamax cranes.«
The port authority is looking at ways
to expand or develop the necessary pier
length required to berth and service two
vessels over 10,000 TEUs/400 m length
overall simultaneously.
The port of Montreal also saw a record
year with growth in all sectors
and a record tonnage of 28 mill. t. As in
past years, the container sector was the
growth engine, with one in four containers
connected to Asia. Overall, container
throughput went up 6%. While the
growth is still attributable to the Asian
market, which is up 17.8%, the African
market rose by 10.3% and the Mediterranean
by 9.2%.
Aspects leading to growth are infrastructure
projects like:
The new Viau container terminal
completed its first year of operation in
2017. The project will bring the total
handling capacity in the Viau sector to
600,000 TEUs.
The port authority is pursuing the
project of a container terminal in Contrecoeur.
When completed, the port capacity
would grow by 1,14 mill. TEUs to
2.1 mill. TEUs. The port authority is heavily
working on obtaining the permits to
realize this project.
The growth perspective is expected
to continue in 2018, given that CETA
came into effect on a preliminary basis
in September 2017 and the rebound
of the American economy is expected
to continue at a moderate pace. In fact,
although the Panama Canal expansion
could favour the port’s container sector,
the main growth engine will still come
from transhipment with emerging markets
through the Suez Canal, the spokesperson
thinks. At the same time she is
seeing a lot more cargo coming from
Asia. Given that renegotiations of the
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are
still underway, the port did not want to
comment on this. »The U.S. Midwest has
always been a big market for Montreal,
mainly thanks to our proximity to Europe
and our location 1,600 km inland.
But since this portion involves international
trade, it is not affected by NAF-
TA,« it is explained.
M
The St. Lawrence Seaway is an important factor
both for the Canadian and the U.S. port industry
Photo: USCG
HANSA International Maritime Journal – 155. Jahrgang – 2018 – Nr. 3 83