To bolster its regional and Canada’s supply chains, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is establishing a temporary storage site for empty shipping containers in Richmond, the port authority announced Feb. 25.
The news comes months after torrential rains shut down the rail service that linked the port to the supply chain for eight days. Situated on Portside Road at the end of No.8 Road in Richmond, work on the temporary site started in January and is expected to be fully completed in early March and remain in service until July, the port said.
“As partners throughout the Port of Vancouver continue work to clear supply-chain backlogs in the wake of November’s flooding, this new container storage site adds valuable capacity to support activities at Canada’s largest port, which in turn supports local and national supply chains,” Port Authority President and CEO Robin Silvester said.
Richmond, BC-based logistics service Coast2000 Terminals and Euro Asia Transload Inc. have been chosen to run the temporary site.
“The initiative taken by the port authority is helping alleviate congestion at facilities storing empty containers,” Euro Asia CEO Tanjit Kalhar said. “Since operating the facility, we have seen a significant reduction in congestion and an increase of export containers being transported to the Port of Vancouver.”