Maher Terminals Holding Corp., operator of Port of Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal, announced it will proceed with expansion of the 7-year-old facility, increasing its container capacity by 500,000 TEUs. Following a 24 to 30 month construction period to begin in Q2 this year, the newly expanded Fairview Container Terminal will have capacity for upwards of 1.3 million TEUs once completed in mid-2017.
Expansion includes:
• Creation of an additional 155 metres of wharf at the north end of the terminal
• Extending the existing wharf to create a seamless 765-metre wharf stretching across the entire western face of the terminal
• Installation of crane rails to support an eight-crane, two-berth operation
• Construction of an additional mooring dolphin structure at the north end of the wharf
• Augmented secured storage space for empty containers at the east end of the terminal
• Upgraded rail capacity through the creation of three additional working tracks, supported by up to six rubber tire gantry cranes
“Intermodal customers have been capitalizing on the advantages of Prince Rupert as part of their transpacific trade solution since Fairview’s first phase opened in 2007,” said Don Krusel, President and CEO of Prince Rupert Port Authority. “We’re very pleased to see Maher Terminals continue delivering on the vision of fast, reliable container service — while creating new opportunities for the workers, communities, and nations who benefit from this trade gateway.”
Since its conversion from a breakbulk handling operation, Fairview Container Terminal has been operated by Maher Terminals. The terminal anchors an efficient trade lane served by CN’s North American Class 1 railroad providing extensive reach into both central Canada and the U.S. Midwest. In seven years of operation, traffic through the Fairview Container Terminal has grown at the fastest pace of any container terminal in North America as shippers have discovered the advantages of speed and reliability that have come to define the Prince Rupert gateway. In 2014, impressive container growth continued, with container volume up 15 per cent over 2013 volumes.
Maher Terminals LLC is one of the largest multi user container terminal operators in the world, having developed North America’s largest marine container terminal in the port of New York and New Jersey, and operating the Fairview Container Terminal in the port of Prince Rupert. Maher Terminals awarded the construction contract to FRPD-BEL Gateway Joint Venture as the prime contractor. The project will provide a second deep-water berth, four additional gantry cranes, and land reclamation to further expand the container yard. On-dock rail trackage will also be expanded through densification of the current track configuration, which will be supported by a rubber-tired gantry crane operation.
Gary Cross, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maher Terminals, said, “The two-berth, eight-crane operation that the expanded Fairview Container Terminal will provide, together with the intense focus on delivering industry-best dwell times, assures ocean carriers and beneficial cargo owners alike that the Prince Rupert gateway will continue to flourish as a premium service provider by remaining comfortably ahead of demand.”
Claude Mongeau, President and Chief Executive Officer of CN, said: “Maher Terminals’ terminal expansion to accommodate growth is very good news for our customers and the Prince Rupert gateway. It goes to show how supply chain collaboration and innovation can produce a highly successful transportation product that has real market appeal.”