More than 25 million tonnes of cargo moved through the Port of Prince Rupert in 2021 – most of which would have moved by rail through Prince George.
The cargo volume handled by the port was down by roughly 23 per cent compared to 2020, when nearly 31.4 tonnes of cargo has handled by the port’s terminals.
“With global supply chains experiencing unprecedented challenges and volatility, the Port of Prince Rupert remains proud to have been a leader in efficiency and fluidity on the West Coast and we hope to continue to offer an uncongested port of call for trans-Pacific trade as a key strategic gateway for Canada,” port authority president and CEO Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “However, the decline in volumes reflects that our terminals and partners are in an extremely dynamic and competitive market, and emphasizes the importance of our work to position the Port of Prince Rupert for targetted growth in capacity and further diversification of our cargoes.”
The loss of a major coal customer resulted in a 35 per cent drop in cargo volume at Ridley Terminal, and a poor grain harvest in Western Canada saw grain exports at the Prince Rupert Grain Terminal down by nearly 33 per cent in 2021.
Wood pellet exports at Pinnacle Renewable Energy’s Westview Pellet Terminal remained essentially flat from 2020 at 1.44 million tonnes, while DP World-Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal’s volume declined slightly to 1.05 million containers handled through the year.
AltaGas’ Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal had a record year, moving 1.4 million tonnes and Pembina’s Watson Island LPG Bulk Terminal came online in 2021, exporting 370,525 tonnes of liquid propane.
Again in 2021, the port saw no cruise ship activity, however domestic ferry traffic grew by nearly 90 per cent, compared to 2020.
Last year, a partnership between COSCO, DP World-Prince Rupert and CN Rail launched expedited rail service between Prince Rupert and Chicago and Prince Rupert and Toronto. The two new services, both of which travel through Prince George, offer “offer an unparalleled means to transport cargo at record pace – a proposition that is all the more desirable as congestion and delays continue at other ports,” according to a statement issued by the Port of Prince Rupert.
An economic impact study conducted by the Port of Prince Rupert Gateway Council last year estimated that in 2020 the Port of Prince Rupert Gateway corridor supported 3,700 direct supply chain jobs in northern B.C., with a combined annual payroll of $360 million.
In 2020 the port handled $60 billion in trade value, and directly and indirectly contributed $147 million in government revenues.
Construction on a major expansion of the Fairview Container Terminal is underway, and expected to be completed in July. Once complete, the expansion is expected to increase the terminal’s container handling capacity by 1.8 million containers per year. Work is also underway on improved road and rail access to the Fairview and Ridley terminals, also expected to be complete by July.
“We continue to advance the development of critical infrastructure and expansion projects at the Port of Prince Rupert to best support the resilience, diversification and growth of Canadian trade and supply routes,” Stevenson said. “By expanding, we hope to continue be a key economic driver in northern B.C. for the benefit of all and will be better positioned to offer Canadian industries supply chain security as the global economy rebounds from the effects of the pandemic.”
