The Canadian west coast Port of Prince Rupert surpassed 10 million tonnes in 2007 for the first time in a decade, a 36.8 per cent increase over 2006 and a 237 per cent jump over 2005.
The arrival of the first containership from Cosco on October 31 at the recently-completed Prince Rupert Container Terminal, a dedicated intermodal container facility, marked the opening of a new Asia-North America express trade route. Cosco's weekly service moved 16,703 TEU during the two months of operation in 2007.
"Overall, the Prince Rupert Port Authority exceeded for 2007 while completing the ambitious container terminal project on time and on budget," said Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) chairman Dale MacLean. "Our focus now is to achieve full utilisation of the 500,000 TEU facility and complete the groundwork to begin the construction of Phase 2 of the Prince Rupert Container Terminal by early 2009."
Port president and CEO Don Krusel said increasing global demand for industrial fuels including coal and petroleum coke, strong markets for agricultural products, the start-up of new lines of business including containers and wood pallets, and competitive advantages of shipping through Prince Rupert, all contributed to the port's "exceptional 2007 performance".
The arrival of the first containership from Cosco on October 31 at the recently-completed Prince Rupert Container Terminal, a dedicated intermodal container facility, marked the opening of a new Asia-North America express trade route. Cosco's weekly service moved 16,703 TEU during the two months of operation in 2007.
"Overall, the Prince Rupert Port Authority exceeded for 2007 while completing the ambitious container terminal project on time and on budget," said Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) chairman Dale MacLean. "Our focus now is to achieve full utilisation of the 500,000 TEU facility and complete the groundwork to begin the construction of Phase 2 of the Prince Rupert Container Terminal by early 2009."
Port president and CEO Don Krusel said increasing global demand for industrial fuels including coal and petroleum coke, strong markets for agricultural products, the start-up of new lines of business including containers and wood pallets, and competitive advantages of shipping through Prince Rupert, all contributed to the port's "exceptional 2007 performance".