Maher Terminals Holding Corp., the operator of the Port of Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal, today announced its decision to proceed with expansion of the 7-year-old facility, increasing its container capacity by 500,000 TEUs to accommodate growing container volumes and further enhancing the Canadian gateway’s growing role in North American trans-Pacific trade, the company said in its press release.
“Intermodal customers have been capitalizing on the advantages of Prince Rupert as part of their transpacific trade solution since Fairview’s first phase opened in 2007,” said Don Krusel, President and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority. “We’re very pleased to see Maher Terminals continue delivering on the vision of fast, reliable container service — while creating new opportunities for the workers, communities, and nations who benefit from this trade gateway.”
Since its conversion from a breakbulk handling operation, Fairview Container Terminal has been operated by Maher Terminals. The terminal anchors an efficient trade lane served by CN’s North American Class 1 railroad providing extensive reach into both central Canada and the US Midwest. In seven years of operation, traffic through the Fairview Container Terminal has grown at the fastest pace of any container terminal in North America as shippers have discovered the advantages of speed and reliability that have come to define the Prince Rupert gateway. In 2014, impressive container growth continued, with container volume up 15% over 2013 volumes.
Maher Terminals awarded the construction contract to FRPD-BEL Gateway Joint Venture as the prime contractor. The project will provide 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 will increase the capacity to over 1.3m TEUs annually, and is scheduled for completion in mid-2017.