Bolstered by substantial infrastructure investments, Canada’s Port of Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia has maintained a growth pattern in both bulk and container throughput in the early months of 2026 after a solid performance in 2025. Because of its location, Prince Rupert arguably offers the shortest transit times of any North American West Coast port to Asia – an estimated one to two sailing days closer (saving up to 60 hours) than alternative West Coast ports, such as Los Angeles.
Cargo through all terminals to the end of February totaled 4.4 million metric tons versus the year earlier 3.8 million tons. Container, coal and grain shipments were also above 2025 levels for the period.
In a recent statement, Kurt Slocombe, interim president, Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) commented: “Our 2025 performance reflects the consistent commitment of the Prince Rupert Gateway’s workforce, terminal operators, CN, and customers. The depth of collaboration between all Gateway partners to unlock capacity, provide greater speed to market, and actively diversify the $60 billion in trade that flows through our Port annually is second to none.”
Slocombe took over as chief executive on January 1, 2026, following the decision to retire of Shaun Stevenson who had expanded and diversified the port since 2018. Slocombe joined PRPA in 2019 as Vice President, Operations, Planning and Infrastructure following extensive experience in gateway operations, including at the Fairview Container Terminal. The Board of Directors is currently conducting a comprehensive search for a new president and CEO.
Intermodal traffic through DP World Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal rose 20% year-over-year to 885,797 TEUs, sparked by robust volumes in the second half of 2025.
This remains below the one million TEUs handled several years ago until various shipping services were restructured.
Demand for Canadian energy products remained steady, with AltaGas’ Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal shipping nearly 2.4 million tons of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to markets in Asia, representing a six percent increase year-over-year. Pembina’s Watson Island LPG Bulk Terminal handled 506,159 tons, marking a one percent increase. Volumes through Drax’s Westview Wood Pellet Terminal went up three percent, with close to 1.3 million tons of biofuel flowing through the facility.
Another solid crop year led Prince Rupert Grain Terminal to increase its 2025 exports of western Canadian agricultural products by eight percent compared to 2024. Total coal export volumes rose 18% at Trigon Pacific Terminals, with metallurgical and thermal coal rebounding, up 26% and 21%.
Major Projects in Progress
Beyond the strong operational performance in 2025, the Port of Prince Rupert reports it made considerable progress on several major projects that enable valuable new cargoes and enhance the capacities and capabilities of intermodal logistics. These infrastructure projects account for more than $3 billion in capital investment and will begin coming online in mid-2026 to further diversify exports, maximize supply chain efficiency, and grow overall cargo volumes.
Construction continues to advance on the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF), a large-scale, open-access LPG and bulk liquids export terminal. The $1.46 billion AltaGas and Vopak joint venture will significantly strengthen Canadian energy exports to the Asia Pacific, with an initial development phase that includes approximately 55,000 barrels per day of LPG export capacity and 600,000 barrels of LPG storage.
PRPA completed leveling the 108-acre site for CANXPORT, a rail-fed logistics and transloading facility that will offer 400,000 TEUs of annual export capacity for forestry, agricultural, and resin products. CANXPORT will be operated by Ray-Mont Logistics, which will relocate its existing Prince Rupert facility and significantly expand its operations at CANXPORT in mid-2026. This project will offer greater efficiency and competitiveness for Canadian exporters and support the balance of intermodal trade through Fairview Container Terminal.
In Q1 2025, the Canada Infrastructure Bank reached financial close on a $60.7 million loan to Metlakatla Development Corporation to develop the South Kaien Logistics Park. This joint venture project with PRPA is creating a new logistics and warehousing complex a short distance from Fairview Container Terminal, CANXPORT, and CN’s mainline. IntermodeX will be the first tenant, operating its new logistics hub with more than 100,000 TEUs of annual capacity.
CN launched construction on its Zanardi Rapids Bridge Expansion project in Q3 2025. Building the new rail infrastructure is key to supporting the Port’s expansion and is designed to add essential rail corridor capacity along a critical transportation link. The project will extend several kilometres of track in both directions and add a new 1,600-foot two-track bridge to meet growing demand. The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
Trigon Pacific Terminals has furthered construction of its second marine berth. The Berth Two Beyond Carbon project will add significant vessel berth capacity to the terminal. The marine infrastructure is expected to be completed in 2026.
