[201212.EN.SEA] Prince Rupert's Surpasses Design Capacity, Hitting 500,000 TEU In 5 Years

The Port of Prince Rupert, British Colombia, has topped its initial design capacity of 500,000 TEU after its first five years in operation, the port authority announced.

The 500,000th container of the year was moved on November 18 during a port visit by the 8,000-TEU COSCO Vancouver. The terminal has handled 515,9254 TEU in the first 11 months of the year. By comparison, in the first full year of operation in 2008 the terminal moved 182,523 TEU.

"The year-over-year growth we've experienced has made the Port of Prince Rupert the fastest growing container terminal in North America and one of the fastest in the world," said port authority CEO Don Krusel. 

"Reaching and surpassing 500,000 TEU is a testament to the strength of the partnerships we created with government, our port stakeholders, the public and the labour community," Mr Krusel said.

"This project leveraged infrastructure investments by the federal and provincial governments into the Asia Pacific Gateway. It has made a profound impact on Prince Rupert and communities across Canada that now benefit from a direct connection to China, Korea, and other economies of southeast Asia."

Currently the terminal handles three weekly calls, amounting to 3,000 containers per vessel moved through the Prince Rupert.

While designed to handle 500,000 TEU, new efficiencies have brought up real capacity to 750,000 TEU, as the terminal boasts of the fastest transfer speeds from ship to rail in the region.

Source : HKSG.