The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) announced that 23.5 million tonnes of cargo moved through the gateway in 2023, five percent less than volumes in 2022.
Port of Prince Rupert — one of North America's busiest cargo hubs — said this marks a third consecutive year of volume decline.
"[This] reflects challenges of shifting global shipping routes, soft demand for imports, and competition with other North American trade gateways for discretionary cargo," PRPA said in a statement.
It noted, however, that despite the decline in volumes, significant milestones were reached in 2023 that support the evolution of the trade gateway to become more competitive, resilient, and sustainable in the near and long term.
"The Port of Prince Rupert is at a critical juncture, and we are focused on actively expanding the services, capacity, and capabilities required to strengthen our competitive advantage that trade partners and industry have come to rely on and grow our gateway," said Shaun Stevenson, president and CEO, Prince Rupert Port Authority.
"The 2023 results underscore the importance of the projects already underway to develop large-scale transloading infrastructure and build new energy export facilities. These developments will open a new chapter in intermodal trade at the Port and anchor Canada's role in global energy security for decades to come," he added.
DP World Prince Rupert's Fairview Container Terminal saw a 32% decrease in volumes in 2023.
PPRPA said this significant drop is due to a broader decline in North American intermodal imports and strong competition on Transpacific trade routes.
Meanwhile, terminal performance was also impacted by labour action that halted operations for 13 days in Q3.
Port of Prince Rupert reported an increase in demand for western Canadian energy products and dry bulk products. For 2023, PPRA noted that a stronger harvest year contributed to Prince Rupert Grain shipping nearly 3.6 million tonnes of western Canadian agricultural products, an 11% rise year-over-year.
In 2023, the Port of Prince Rupert moved forward on multiple strategic projects and partnerships that are essential to strengthening and diversifying the trade gateway, including the construction of the US$750-million Ridley Island Export Logistics Project, an innovative large-scale facility that will provide rail-to-container transloading of multiple export products.
PPRA said RayMont Logistics will develop and operate the site's transload facilities that will provide a total capacity of 400 thousand TEUs annually and will commence operations in Q3 2026.
It also announced the Ridley Energy Export Facility — a joint venture between AltaGas and Vopak — where a proposed terminal will develop infrastructure that can provide over 7 million tonnes of capacity for a variety of liquid bulk cargoes, including lower-carbon energy sources such as propane, butane, and methanol.
The announcement said early works began on the bulk liquid storage and export facility in Q4 2023, with a Final Investment Decision anticipated in Q2 2024.
"These projects will ensure the Port of Prince Rupert can continue to anchor competitive and resilient trade while taking a leading role in developing sustainable global supply chains," Stevenson of PPRA said.
