SEPTEMBER 2026 CANADA PORTS 39 ;; ; ;; ; ; ;; ; ; ;; ; !"#$ % &'(;)!;; ;) ! *;+;, - ; . );,; - ; ; );/ ;+;0#1-";2 3; ; ,; +! 1# 1; !;+1, ; ;',4 !; # #;! )3;,;.4;51,; ; ; ); 5 ;65 !;,; 7 ; -! ; #5# *; ; );+1 1;+;8 !;9:" ; ! Japan — it’s up about 13%, South Korea up about 9%, [and] we’re also seeing growth in emerging economies such as Malaysia and India,” Scott said. And the Port of Vancouver’s cargo growth is critical to Canada’s strategic goal to double Canadian exports with non-US markets over the next decade. New Robert Banks Terminal 2 For the Port of Vancouver, the continued growth in containerized cargo is a clear sign that the Port needs to develop more container handling capacity — and a han- dling capacity designed to accommodate the next genera- tion of containerships. In April 2026, VFPA and Global Container Termi- nals (GCT) announced they had agreed on a Memoran- dum of Understanding (MOU) “to explore a partnership to advance Robert Banks Terminal 2 (RBT2) at the Port of Vancouver.” The MOU is for one year and the initial part of the process is to build the ‘partnership’ and as Scott explains, “The parties are actively working together right now. So, the port and GCT are meeting on a weekly basis to out- line and assess the benefits synergies and the operational expertise that GCT can contribute as the potential termi- nal builder and operator. This collaboration is being sup- ported by Canada’s Major Projects Office as well. And these discussions are intended to validate the opportunity to confirm whether the parties can reach an alignment in terms of the joint venture by the end of the MOU period.” And it isn’t just the MOU timeline in play, as the desire is to get shovels in the ground as soon as it is feasible as the RBT2 project is critical to the national interests as well as the Port’s, “We’re working towards a pretty aggres- sive timeline, but there’s lots of momentum right now. We’ve announced our construction partner. There’s been a subsidiary created to manage the project and that has its own board for governance. We’ve also had a referral to the Major Projects Office for coordination of having this project designated a ‘project of national interest’. So, all of those are moving in the right direction and we’re targeting to be in a position to start construction on the land mass in 2028 and that would allow the terminal to be operational in the mid 2030s,” Scott said of the project’s timeline. The container terminal is being designed to handle the next generation of containerships — vessels that could be 24,000 TEUs in size. And the scale of the project is significant, “We’re looking at a minimum expansion of about 2.4 million TEUs, but we believe that through the synergies and collaboration, we could probably grow that further, but the project is based upon 2.4 million addi- tional TEUs,” Scott said. With a project adding 2.4 million TEUs or more to the port’s annual throughput the question is more than the handling within the terminal gates. As Scott outlined the process to handle the load, “When we look at this project, we’re also looking at the supply chain as a whole. So, part of our review is looking at ensuring that all of the compo- nents of the supply chain, whether that be the road network, the rail network, the marine network, all can accommo- date and facilitate this growth.” Scott added, “There’s also several projects … that are involved in the Major Projects Office as well. So, we’re looking at all of those in tandem together to make sure that the terminal is ready and infra- structure can help facilitate this level of expansion.” Terminal Visibility Just as important to the operations of a container ter- minal such as ship-to-shore gantry cranes, reach stack- ers and straddle carriers, is unseen management systems that convey data and other information to the Port’s rel- evant stakeholders. As Scott explains, “For us, it’s really about real time visibility and ensuring that we have the data that enables us to manage, oversee, and facilitate the movement of goods.” According to Scott the VFPA has been working on a “supply chain visibility dashboard and that’s really an open access web-based interactive report- ing tool.” The tool allows reporting on “performance metrics across the marine [and] railroad system. It also helps facil- itate daily decision-making, so users can go on there and see the metrics and then we can interact with stakeholders. That dashboard continues to be evolved and enhanced.” Another tool that is being deployed is the “active vessel traffic management system”. Scott says that it is “a scheduling and management system of all vessel move- ments, coordinates commercial ship traffic to improve operational by late 2030. It includes the construction of a working jetty, as well as the terminal wharf and its marine infrastructure. Dredging activities are scheduled to begin in 2027. The project’s next phases will include finalizing the terminal design as well as the construction operating agreement with DP World Canada. Estimated cost of the project 23 miles from Mon- treal on the St. Lawrence River has ballooned to north of C$2.3 billion. For the broader financing package, the known com- mitments so far total just over C$1.4 billion emanating from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (C$1.16 billion), from Transport Canada (C$150 million), and the Quebec provincial government (C$130 million). This leaves at least C$900 million, where a considerable portion is expected to flow from the Montreal Port Authority while there are ongoing financial contribution discussions with DP World in Canada, itself a joint venture with La Caisse, Quebec’s largest pension fund. Port of Halifax Broadens Markets As 2026 was in progress, the deepwater Port of Hal- ifax leadership team underlined its focus on shaping its future growth as “a strategic international gateway” able to handle container vessels larger than 12,000 TEU and as a strong contributor to Canada’s national trade objectives. “As Canada seeks to double its non-US exports over the next 10 years, the Port of Halifax provides a reliable supply chain solution to the world,” emphasized Fulvio Fracassi, President and CEO of the Halifax Port Author- ity (HPA). Last year, trade with key target markets experienced measurable growth: China (+24%), India (+11%), Turkey (+19%), Indonesia (+49%), Japan (+30%). Among the port’s leading trading partners, Asia comes first at 44%, followed by Europe (34%), Latin America/Caribbean (10%) and North America (9%). Container cargo is handled at two full-service ter- minals at PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub and Fairview Cove. Double stacked rail service by CN to Montreal, Toronto, the U.S. Midwest and beyond offers fast, reliable reach to (TARGETS – continued on page 40) (TARGETS – continued from page 36) (MOVING – continued on page 40) (MOVING – continued from page 38)
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