Ports are welcoming various large components, but future prospects still remain uncertain

The nature of project cargo shipments is changing with a notable shift from wind installations to new energy routes, data centers and sizable infrastructure investments.

At the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, the preliminary data for the first half of 2026 shows that foreign breakbulk volumes – which include project cargo and metals – remained steady at slightly more than 860,000 metric tons. This included about 10,000 metric tons of various machinery.

The Port of Prince Rupert (PRPA) is likewise playing an increasingly important role in supporting major industrial and infrastructure projects in Western Canada with project cargo representing significant opportunity. The new Material Offload Facility (MOF) completed in 2025 was specifically built to facilitate transportation of prefabricated components that are difficult to handle with conventional facilities.

“It has already played an important role in supporting more than $3 billion in expansion projects underway at the Port of Prince Rupert, including facilitating the transport of critical project components for the AltaGas and Vopak joint venture Ridley Island Energy Export Facility,” says Kurt Slocombe, PRPA’s president and CEO. “The $1.5 billion export terminal, which will support large-scale LPG and bulk liquids exports, is expected to come online in early 2027.”

Great Lakes and Project Freight

On the Great Lakes, the Port of Hamilton is seeing a moderate increase in project cargo so far this year, tied to energy, manufacturing, and civil infrastructure projects.

“Recent shipments have included pressure vessels for energy generation, transformer and generator-sets for warehousing developments, and components supporting major public transit construction,” relates Ian Hamilton, president and CEO of HOPA Ports. “Through our Logistec and our QSL stevedoring partners, the Port of Hamilton has the specialized handling expertise that these complex cargoes require.”

The Port of Cleveland has welcomed various project cargo on several vessels this year for a long-planned data center near Columbus, Ohio, with the expectation of future such components arriving. “We expect more of that business to continue into 2027 and possibly beyond,” says David S. Gutheil, the chief operating officer at the Port of Cleveland.

Other ports on the Great Lakes have also seen this type of traffic and remain hopeful for more in future but may have those expectations tempered by the increasing public resistance against data centers over concerns about energy use, water consumption, as well as constant noise.

Change in Project Investment Strategy?

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has placed a statewide pause on future data center development, while Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has paused state tax exemptions and incentives for new such proposals. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have each signed orders that demand local environmental and energy ratepayer protections before a project can proceed.

Fully aware of the increasing resistance, the Canadian government announced five key principles on September 4th to guide future AI data center developments. The framework calls for local transparency, minimized water and environmental impacts, a full assumption of energy costs, as well as enduring local benefits. The totally unbinding principles don’t seem to be swaying critics, including the Council of Canadians, the country’s largest non-partisan citizens advocacy organization, because they don’t carry any consequences for non-compliance. Currently, several provinces are reviewing projects as they wrestle with anticipated AI requirements, competing demands for limited energy, as well as public resistance.

As for wind energy development, an overall slowdown in new installations has had Eastern ports in Canada and the US turning more attention to handling large components for LNG and other energy pipelines, new energy grids, along with traditional project cargo for rail and road upgrades.

US and Canadian ports with abundant laydown space, such as the Port of Thunder Bay, are increasingly in demand by shippers who want some leeway in terms of how fast their cargo has to be moved from a port area to its ultimate destinations.

A surge in new energy-related project cargo has been straining North America’s rail capacity, especially with aging rolling stock contributing to schedule delays. Some of this business is shifting to trucking companies as well as barge operators, but getting those shipments delivered may require more trips, cost and/or time than had been the case by rail.