Don Krusel, President and CEO of Prince Rupert Port is very confident about the future of both the port and the city of Prince Rupert. This is what he had to say about the year 2010 so far and also provides a sketch of what the future holds for our amazing city:
2010 a turning point for the Port of Prince Rupert
The Port of Prince Rupert experienced one of its best years in recent history in 2009 and 2010 is unfolding to be an even better year. We were very pleased to be able to stand before the community at our Annual Public Meeting in June and share our outstanding performance, financial success and exciting plans for the future.
As our Board of Directors Chair Dale MacLean noted at the public meeting, the Prince Rupert Gateway has, in just three short years, transformed from a regional port into a global gateway for transpacific trade. This is evident in the substantial year-over-year increase in container volumes through the Fairview Terminal: from 36 per cent of the terminal’s capacity in 2008, to 53 per cent in 2009 and a projected 72 per cent by the end of 2010.
The Board Chair also noted that our success is due to the commitment and collaborative efforts of the partnership we have with CN, Maher Terminals and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers. We have become a formidable force, along with COSCO and the CKYH Alliance, which we have to continue to strengthen if we want to realize our full potential. We must also thank our other important port community partners, from the trucking and transloading businesses to the tug and piloting operations, who are working diligently with us to offer our shipping customers unparalleled, world-class services.
Of course, the Port of Prince Rupert is not just about handling containers. All terminals are contributing to our overall strong performance. Prince Rupert Grain is having another good year and its reputation as the highest throughput grain terminal in Canada has been further enhanced with the “Grain Handler of the Year” award from the Canadian Wheat Board. Ridley Terminals is experiencing the best year in its history and is planning for future growth and expansion. We congratulate the management and staff of both terminals for their significant accomplishments.
More importantly, all terminals and other port operations are significantly contributing to the economic prosperity and well-being of the people and communities in the region and along the northwest transportation corridor. The Economic Impact Study commissioned by the Port Authority and released in April show the Port of Prince Rupert is responsible for 2,700 full time jobs and $150 million in wages annually. Our plans currently underway to grow and expand the port to include additional terminals, logistics parks and other services will create many more jobs and business opportunities.
In addition, our recent financial success is finally giving us the opportunity to reinvest in our local communities’ economic and social well-being as well as the environment. The Community Investment Fund is based on a percentage of the Port’s net income generated from the previous year’s revenues.
The Port Authority is looking forward to many years of continued financial success for the Port of Prince Rupert to help our communities prosper and grow.
Don Krusel
President & CEO
Prince Rupert Port Authority
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