More activity flows through Prince Rupert Port

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Container port to see two more ships per week
Posted on April 18th, 2011 by MuskegPress in News



Although some details still need to ironed out, Fairview Terminal will see four container ships visiting each week, starting in May. That’s an increase from the two ships that currently make Prince Rupert a port-of-call each week.

Shaun Stevenson, the vice president of marketing & business development at the Prince Rupert Port Authority, said both COSCO and Hanjin are adding Prince Rupert to their Pacific shipping services.

COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Company) is planning to add Prince Rupert to its “South China Express” service, said Stevenson. He added this will see Rupert as the last port-of-call, after Long Beach, and before the ship heads west across the Pacific.

“We’re hopeful that’s going to be a real opportunity for exports for Prince Rupert,” said Stevenson.

Hanjin Shipping will also be sending a ship to Rupert as part of its Pacific Northwest Express Service. According to Hanjin’s website, its ships will arrive in Prince Rupert on Saturdays from Busan, South Korea. On Sundays, the ship will depart Rupert south for Seattle, Portland & Vancouver before heading back west to Busan.

In both cases, the new calls have their own distinct characteristics. Stevenson said the new COSCO call is unique in that it’s the last port-of-call before heading back west, and the Hanjin call provides a greater reach into the Korean market.

Stevenson also said there are some details that still need to be worked out, such as the exact date for the first calls, how large the vessels will be, and how much volume will be shipped through Fairview. Still, he said the addition of the two extra ships will help Fairview Terminal. “Certainly it’s going to contribute to a lot of growth, even in this calendar year,” he said.

The two new ships will also be visiting Fairview during a period of increasing capacity. In its year-end report on 2010 numbers, the Port Authority said 340,000 TEUs were shipped through Fairview last year, putting the terminal at almost 50 per cent capacity.

At this point, Stevenson said it’s difficult to determine how much volume will be increased with the two new ships. He said any expansion of the terminal will only happen after an ongoing environmental assessment is complete, which is expected by mid-2012. He said expansion plans are under review by the Port, CN Rail, and Maher, the operator of Fairview. The decision on when to expand will be a commercial decision by Maher, said Stevenson.

A press release sent out by the City celebrating the arrival of the two ships said “the increased activity will allow for an increase in shipment of back haul products to Asia.”

~Written by Chris Armstrong Muskeg News


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