Can a successful million plus teu container terminal be built from the bottom up on arguably the last significant open waterfront acreage on the North American continent? Can an east coast version of Prince Rupert be built in the Port of Sydney, Nova Scotia? By George Lauriat, AJOT Along time ago, seafarers figured out the Great Circle Route (GCR). There is nothing special in the fact that Europe to North America is closer in the Northern latitudes than it is as the globe widens towards the Equator. Simply a geographic fact of life, no different than running through the Suez Canal makes for a more timely transit between Asia and Europe than rounding the Cape of Good Hope. The Port of Sydney, NS (not to be confused with the Port of Sydney “down under”) is really out there. The port is located northeast of the Port of Halifax in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This potentially makes it the closest North American port to Europe (and believe it or not closer to Brazil by water than Miami). Does that geography make it the best choice for a container port? Military planners have a history of planning for the next war, and maritime consultants often plan for the last build out. But in the mantra of real estate agents, Sydney has the three most important attributes of a port: “location, location, and… of course, location.” To that total, you can add a fourth attribute; it already exists, which makes this 500-acre greenfield project shovel ready for a terminal developer. In some ways the new waterfront space was a bit of a windfall. The fill used for the project came from material (sand and gravel one-time dredge) taken from the Sydney Harbour channel-dredging project, which at once improved access and created an opportunity. The cost of dredging was $40-million in a public/private venture. The dredging was done - finished last January - with $20 million from the Province matched by another $20 million from the Federal government. Like nearly all port projects, the Sydport Project has had more than its share of controversy. In the first instance, another buyer (Atlantic Gateway Shipping Terminals) was angling for the right to build out the site. However, the City of Sydney stepped in and arranged a sale (estimated to be in $6 million range) from Laurentian Energy to Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM). Laurentian had tried earlier to attract interest to the site without much success. Atlantic Gateway protested the sale to CBRM feeling the deal had been hijacked by the city, but in reality the company didn’t have much of a track record as an ocean terminal developer, or frankly, even as a company. On the other hand, for a city strapped for cash buying a “terminal” greenfield isn’t always a popular move. And it’s not a new idea. The proposed $350-million Melford Terminal project, backed by New Jersey-based Maher Terminals, is located on the Nova Scotia side of the Canso Strait, opposite Cape Breton – somewhat halving the distance between the Port of Halifax and Port of Sydney. This terminal project has been on hold for a few years, and at this stage it is difficult to say whether it will ever be built. Go East Gordon Forsyth, an international marketing consultant and spokesperson for the Sydport Gateway project, was recently hired by CBRM to help promote the 500-acre site with the ultimate goal of bringing aboard an international marine terminal company. Forsyth, managing partner for industry marketing firm BSY Associates Inc., is enthusiastic about the potential of the site. “It’s North America’s eastern most port…the closest to the Suez Canal, a day and half closer than New York,” New Jersey-based Forsyth related in a telephone interview with the AJOT. Adding, “It [the facility] was once a [Royal Canadian] Navy Base and has “full” double stack access to the Midwest with no draft issues – ocean or air.” When asked about potential suitors, he said that “we are working with several top-tier investment companies and operators about the Sydport opportunity.” Another bullet point in the Sydpor