Canadian Government Approves Vancouver Port Terminal Project

A rendering of the planned Roberts Bank Terminal 2. Image via Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

Following an environmental assessment process, the Government of Canada has approved the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project in British Columbia, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced April 20.

The project, which involves constructing new land and a new three-berth container terminal close to other terminals at Roberts Bank, is expected to eventually build out Canada’s container capacity on the West Coast by about one-third, adding 2.4 million TEUs of capacity.

The extra capacity the Port of Vancouver is expected to bolster the country’s supply chain resilience and allows the port to better handle cargo volume increases, plus bring major economic pluses to the region, the port authority said.

The benefits include over 18,000 jobs during construction, over 17,300 jobs after it’s built, as well as roughly $3 billion in annual GDP when it’s completed and $631 million in tax revenue, according to the port authority.

“With this approval, we can advance one of Canada’s most important trade infrastructure projects to date, bolster our national supply-chain resilience, and deliver generational economic benefits for Canadians and Canadian businesses,” Robin Silvester, president and CEO of the port authority, the agency that oversees trade activities through the Port of Vancouver, said.

By Karen Robes Meeks