DP World has completed its two-year Phase 2 North expansion of Fairview Container Terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert.

According to DP World, the terminal’s capacity has now increased from 750,000 TEUs per year to 1.35 million TEUs per year and it is now capable of handling the largest vessels.

“The expanded container terminal is an economic engine for the city of Prince Rupert and is directly responsible for hundreds of jobs with many others in the local community and beyond benefitting from its operations,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World. “We are delighted to mark this occasion today which marks our commitment to Canada and the local community. This is all part of our plans to provide capacity to meet Canada’s Pacific container terminal capacity requirements for decades to come in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.”

The terminal now includes a second vessel berth, with three new Super-Post-Panamax cranes able to handle vessels with a capacity of more than 20,000 TEUs. An additional 6,000 feet of on-dock rail and 11 hectares to the terminal footprint will provide more speed and reliability to terminal services.

“Prince Rupert’s success has been driven by its unparalleled geographical position on the trans-Pacific trade route, high terminal productivity and consistently low dwell times that have been sustained alongside our significant growth in throughput over the past two years,” said Maksim Mihic, general manager of DP World Canada. “However, as global trade has grown, so have container vessels. In order to meet the needs of our customers and capitalize on other opportunities, we needed an upgrade. Thankfully, our strong relationships with our expansion project partners, ILWU, the Port of Prince Rupert and CN Rail have resulted in an impressive transformation that will provide reliable and competitive service for our customers.”

Fairview Container Terminal was converted from a breakbulk facility in 2007 and is the closest terminal to Asia out of the major seaports on the West Coast of North America.

“We continue to build on our strengths, and ensure that as we grow as a port we will maintain the velocity and fluidity that got us here,” said Don Krusel, president and CEO of the Port of Prince Rupert. “This project is a significant addition to Canada’s trade infrastructure, and provides tremendous value to our shippers and many partners. It has become a major contributor to the regional economy, and could not have been realized without collaboration and support of industry, labour, government, First Nations and our local communities.”