@npa.ca
NANAIMO – The Port of Nanaimo will receive $600,000 from the federal National Trade Corridors Fund for a key study of the Vancouver Island supply chain.
The study will determine the possibility of expanding the Vancouver Island’s Duke Point Terminal, which will help alleviate bottlenecks at Vancouver’s deep-sea terminals. It will also explore the feasibility of improving the terminal’s infrastructure, providing better connectivity to transfer cargo from barges to rail cars on the mainland. The Pacific region could see increased import/export capacity of goods from the forestry and agriculture sectors, as well as seafood and other food sectors.
It will also look into the expansion of container handling capacity, developing land near the Port, and assess potential improvements to short-distance sea cargo shipping between the lower mainland and Vancouver Island.
“The Port of Nanaimo is appreciative of the National Trade Corridors Funding award to study how additional expansion of the Duke Point terminal, combined with upland development can provide new import/export opportunities for Vancouver Island communities and increase resiliency and capacity for the broader Pacific Region supply chain network,” states Ian Marr, President and CEO of the Port of Nanaimo.
The National Trade Corridors Fund is a merit-based program designed to help infrastructure owners and users invest in the critical transportation assets that support economic activity in Canada. A total of $4.7 billion over 11 years (2017-2028) has been allocated to the program. Through the Fund, Transport Canada is supporting improvements to Canada’s roads, rail, air, and marine shipping routes to foster domestic and international trade.
By Mark MacDonald