May cargo volumes reveal that the Port of Prince Rupert’s performance remains strong during a challenging economic situation and illustrate that a diverse port complex is critical to ensuring resiliency.

In a statement, Port of Prince Rupert said overall, the port saw cargo volume up 9% with 12.62 million tonnes of cargo handled year-to-date, led by strong dry bulk volumes both for the month and year-to-date.

It said the Ridley Terminals experienced the biggest growth in volume, up 68% from May 2019 volumes and up 39% year-to-date.

The addition of propane volume from the AltaGas Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal, it said, which has been operating for just over a year, has also contributed to the steady overall performance of the Port. As well, with strong demand for wood pellets, Westview Terminal is experiencing growth of 24% year-to-date.

Port of Prince Rupert added that its intermodal sector has been the most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with a decrease in the movement of cargo on the entire trans-Pacific trade route.

Volume at Fairview Terminal, it said, saw a 12% decline year-to-date, though laden volumes have only decreased 6%. Throughput also declined 37% during the period, a significant decrease in volumes and employment hours that reflects the impact of containment measures in North America as a result of COVID-19.

"The Port of Prince Rupert is an important trade gateway on the trans-Pacific and as such, is not immune from volatile market conditions," it said.

Much of the cargo handled through Fairview Terminal is entirely discretionary and can move through other west coast ports; as a result, the Prince Rupert Gateway relies on its ability to move goods with speed, reliability and reach to provide shippers advantage in their supply chains.

  “As the Port of Prince Rupert continues to grow and expand the cargo moving through the gateway, we have witnessed firsthand how vital a diverse port complex is,” said Shaun Stevenson, president and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created global economic uncertainty, and through this challenging situation, the Prince Rupert gateway has not only remained fluid, but year-to-date volumes are above last year’s,” he added.

It said logistics developments at the port — like the Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor, the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform, and the Metlakatla Import Logistics Park — will enable transload of import containerized cargoes and warehouse operations for import supply chains. 

It is also critical to ensuring resiliency as an intermodal gateway and to add value to supply chains.

"Keeping these projects moving forward will help the Prince Rupert gateway stay on the leading edge throughout the economic downturn and for the future while providing a much needed economic stimulus to assist in Canada’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis," the Port noted.