CN, Prince Rupert port mark container milestone

The Port of Prince Rupert, DP World and CN on Tuesday marked the 1 millionth container handled by the Fairview Container Terminal in a calendar year.
 
The millionth unit — a 40-foot container — was loaded onto the COSCO Africa ocean liner. The container was loaded with dimensional lumber from Canfor's Plateau mill at CN's Prince George transload facility before arriving in Prince Rupert by rail.

During its first full year of operation in 2008, Fairview Terminal handled 182,523 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Since then, a combination of strong local longshore labor, efficient terminal management and reliable rail service have contributed to a decade of exponential volume growth, port officials said in a press release.

Originally designed with a capacity of 500,000 TEUs, the terminal's current capacity is 1.35 million TEUs. An expansion project set to begin in 2019 is projected to boost capacity to 1.8 million TEUs by 2022.

"Reaching this milestone would not have been possible without the investment in expanding terminal capacity from DP World, and the strong partnerships with CN and the local International Longshore and Warehouse Union in working together to continue to grow capacity while maintaining the speed and fluidity our shippers have come to expect," said Shaun Stevenson, the port's president and chief executive officer.

CN is committed to ensuring the port gateway continues to operate with fluidity as it continues to grow, said President and CEO JJ Ruest.

"As all of our supply chain partners continue to invest in this important gateway, the Port of Prince Rupert has proven yet again, that it is a model to follow," he said.