Port of Vancouver (Canada) Every business, particularly the transportation industry, faces the possibility of a crisis at any time and it’s usually a crisis that’s least expected. Port Metro Vancouver was forced to deal with just such a crisis March 4, 2015 when a container carrying trichloroisocyanuric acid, a disinfectant, algaecide and bactericide used mainly for swimming pools and as a bleaching agent in the textile industry caught fire at Centerm, located within walking distance of the City of Vancouver’s downtown core.
The fire apparently started inside the 20-foot shipping container, which made it difficult to extinguish.
In an article in the Georgia Strait, Joseph Spears and Darryl Anderson, both specialists in crisis response, said: “Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, working in conjunction with other first responders, the private sector, and Port Metro Vancouver, did a tremendous job in extinguishing the fire. Clearly the ongoing training in the port of Vancouver for marine response for hazardous and dangerous goods commonly known as HNS paid off in this case.”
The fumes from the fire drifted across the downtown area of the city for roughly 24 hours and people within the threatened area were cautioned to stay inside and keep their doors and windows closed. A few were taken to hospital with respiratory problems, but there were no fatalities reported.
Peter Xotta, Vice-President of planning and operations at the port told AJOT that the next step will be to work to ensure that a similar situation doesn’t happen again. He said the response of the community and of a wide variety of agencies to the incident was excellent as was the response of DP World, the owner/operator of Centerm.
At the time of the fire there was one ship docked at Centerm, the Hyundai Courage. Xotta said the number of crew on the vessel was reduced to skeleton status during the incident.
In 2014 the port broke records and Xotta said 2015 looks as though it is going to be another good year.
Last year saw the best-ever volumes in the bulk and container sectors. The port handled 140 million tonnes of cargo in 2014, up 3% from 2013. Import cargo rose 4.1% to 29 million tonnes, and exports rose 3.3% to 111 million tonnes. Bulk volumes increased by 5.3% with substantial increases in grain exports after a bumper crop year and strong international demand spurred an 18% increase in exports of wheat and 31% increase for canola. Bulk coal volumes remained strong as volumes increased in several emerging markets from more traditional markets. Bulk potash reached a new record of 7.5 million tonnes, a 14% increase from the previous year.
Despite a labor disruption by truck drivers, container volumes continued to grow last year, with a 3.1% increase over 2013.
Commenting on the March strike by container truck drivers Xotta said: “We are just now transitioning to a new paradigm in the truck system.” He said the combination of a reduction in the number of trucks, the increased standards required in the new system and the institution of the new commissioner’s office has convinced the port that the container terminals are now in “a more stable situation.”
Port of Prince Rupert
The port’s only container terminal, Fairview, has been sold to DP World for Cdn$580 million.
The seven year-old 850,000 TEU terminal provides direct ship-to-rail transfer of containers and high speed rail transport to Eastern Canada and U.S. commercial centers such as Houston, Chicago and New Orleans.
It is the second terminal to be purchased by DP World in British Columbia, the other being Centerm at the Port of Metro Vancouver.
Mohammed Sharaff, CEO for the Dubai government-owned terminal group said in a prepared statement announcing the purchase of the terminal: “Offers the fastest access for vessels travelling between Asia and North America. And, a fantastic opportunity for DP World.”
The sale follows on the heels of an announcement by the original owner, New Jersey-based Maher Terminals, on March 10 that it planned to proceed with the long-awaited expansion of the terminal. The project is slated to increase the terminal’s 850,000 TEU capacity by 500,000 TEUs to accommodate future container volumes
The planned expansion would bring with it a second deep-water berth, four additional gantry cranes and land reclamation to further expand the container yard. On-dock rail trackage will also be expanded through densification of the current track configuration, which will be supported by a rubber-tired gantry crane operation. The terminal expansion is scheduled for completion in mid-2017.
In making the announcement Gary Cross, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maher Terminals, said, “The two-berth, eight-crane operation that the expanded, Fairview Container Terminal will provide, together with the intense focus on delivering industry-best dwell times, assures ocean carriers and cargo owners alike that the Prince Rupert gateway will continue to flourish as a premium service provider by remaining comfortably ahead of demand.”
In addition, the port has also completed a road, rail and utility corridor to nearby Ridley Island that will open the door to new terminal developments, including plans for an LNG terminal and potash terminal that has been proposed by Canpotex, the world’s largest shipper of potash.
