Strategic projects anchor Prince Rupert’s long-term growth built on diversification

by Leo Ryan Mar 25, 2025 | Published in Issue 775 on page 30

While cargo volumes at the Pacific gateway in northern British Columbia have not yet returned to their robust pre-COVID levels, Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, stresses that a “historic period of expansion” is in progress. This is thanks to strategic projects that will diversify exports, enhance logistics competitiveness and fuel long-term growth.

“2024 marked a year of extraordinary growth and expansion at the Port of Prince Rupert,” Stevenson told AJOT, singling out “the advancement of record-setting capital investments of nearly C$3 billion in terminal and logistics infrastructure.”

These investments included new and expanded terminal capacities for energy exports along with new intermodal import and export logistics facilities building greater capability and capacity for shippers.

Stevenson further noted: “Operating partners have made significant progress in strengthening Prince Rupert’s speed and velocity advantages for transpacific intermodal trade.”

With a deep natural harbour able to accommodate the new generation containerships, the port provides a direct single-line connection to the extensive reach of CN’s continental rail network. It is also 500 nautical miles closer to Asia than other ports in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2024, Prince Rupert handled 23.1 million metric tons of cargo, reflecting a one percent decline compared to 2023.

Intermodal volumes at DP World Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal rose five percent year-over-year, with container throughput attaining nearly 740,000 TEUs versus the year earlier 704,248 TEUs. Port officials indicated that performance was impacted by the realignment of carriers’ transpacific trade routes, two labour disruptions, and the brief suspension of rail service due to wildfire that paused terminal operations.

Strong demand for western Canadian energy products saw AltaGas’ Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal ship 2.3 million tons of liquified petroleum gas (LPG), representing a 15% increase year-over-year. Pembina’s Watson Island LPG Bulk Terminal handled 502,800 tons. Drax’s Westview Wood Pellet Terminal shipped 1.2 million tons of biofuel to markets in Europe and Asia.

Following a strong crop year, Prince Rupert Grain Terminal posted a 26% increase in exports, handling over 4.5 million tons of western Canadian agricultural products. Total coal export volumes fell 23% at Trigon Pacific Terminals, with metallurgical and thermal coal exports down 29% and 22%.

DP World Fairview Container Terminal posted a 5% cargo increase in 2024.

Project Milestones

Beyond terminal performance, multiple major project milestones were met in 2024.

Construction commenced on the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF), a large-scale LPG and bulk liquids export terminal. The C$1.35 billion AltaGas and Vopak joint venture reached a final investment decision in Q2 2024. REEF 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.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank reached financial close on a C$150 million loan to PRPA for the first phase of CANXPORT in Q2 2024 and construction is well underway. The large-scale export logistics and transloading facility will be constructed and operated by Ray-Mont Logistics to provide 400,000 TEUs of annual capacity for forestry, agricultural, and resin products, and significantly increase competitiveness and container movements, while bringing greater stability to intermodal trade.

Trigon Pacific Terminals made significant progress on 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 2025.

In the latest development on the project front, Intermodex announced the development of LinX, a cutting-edge transload and logistics facility strategically located at the Port of Prince Rupert. Designed to support global cargo owners, ocean carriers and forwarders, LinX will leverage Prince Rupert gateway’s natural advantages and IntermodeX’s advanced transload and logistics capabilities along with CN’s rail network.

Set to launch in Q1 2027, Phase 1 will span over 30 acres and feature a 100-door facility, providing seamless transloading for both import and export cargo between North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The LinX facility will be the anchor tenant of the newly developed South Kaien Import Logistics Park (SKILP), a joint venture between PRPA and the Metlakatla Development Corporation.

Matthew May, President of Intermodex, says the facility will enhance supply chain resilience by connecting all points in Asia with key distribution hubs in Eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest.

Strong Early 2025 Cargo Trends

Meanwhile, early trends in 2025 show a strong growth trajectory at the port.

DP World Prince Rupert Fairview Container Terminal registered nearly 75,000 TEU movements this past January, a 19% increase over January 2024. This growth was partly due to vessel timing at the end of December that rolled into the new year.

Volumes through Prince Rupert Grain Terminal were 50% above January 2024, with 538,000 tons loaded, primarily driven by ongoing wheat strength which was approximately 50% above January 2024.

LPG exports remained high, with 233,000 tons loaded, similar to the monthly rates achieved through 2024.

Wood pellet volumes rose 53% year-over-year, with 110,000 tons loaded, compared to 71,000 tons in January 2024.

Coal shipments surged by 71% year-over-year rise, with 747,000 tons versus 435,000 tons in January 2024.

This past January marked the second consecutive month of metallurgical coal exports exceeding 500,000 tons, with approximately 514,000 tons loaded.

Thermal coal loadings dropped 49% year-over-year, but the lower volume was attributed to loading schedules, with previous years showing similar values over the December to February period.

Petroleum Coke loading volumes rose 42% year-over-year, with 151,000 tons compared to 106,000 tons in January 2024.

Leo Ryan

CANADA CORRESPONDENT

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Based in Montreal, the historic biggest Canadian gateway for North Atlantic trade, veteran journalist Leo Ryan has extensive experience as a reporter on national and international shipping, trade, political and economic developments – with strong focus in recent years on Canada-US relations and maritime/multimodal developments on Canada’s East, West and Arctic coasts as well as the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence corridor.

While completing a post-graduate degree in Eastern European history amidst the expansion of the Soviet Bloc, he began his career with The Montreal Star as general reporter before moving to Paris where he spent 17 years - first as Africadesk editor for the English service of Agence France Presse. Then, he built a substantial freelance network among English-language newspapers – including The Globe and Mail - as a special foreign correspondent, on a wide variety of reporting assignments in Eastern and Western Europe as well as Africa.

It was during this period, too, that he began writing on European port and economic subjects for New York’s Journal of Commerce. The latter subsequently hired him to establish in Montreal the first full-time JOC bureau in Canada, which remained open for 14 years. A highlight was an exclusive interview in 1988 with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement.

As well Canada Correspondent for AJOT, Leo Ryan is today Editor of Maritime Magazine, a bilingual Canadian quarterly. He is the recipient of the Medal of Merit of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities.