Port Saint John announced its $205 million West Side Terminals Modernization Project has been completed on time and on budget.
The infrastructure investment project at the west side container terminal—funded equally by the Federal Government, Province of New Brunswick, and the port—increases laydown capacity of over 160% or 325,000TEU. Other improvements include a 345-meter berth, the addition of new refrigerated towers, dredged the main channel to be deeper and wider and an expanded intermodal yard.
The port said it has project has been attracting private sector partners and private investments to the tune of $560 million in rail and terminal upgrades since the signing of the project’s funding agreement in 2016.
Port Saint John is the only port in eastern Canada that connects to three class one rail lines via short line rail partners at NB Southern Rail. In 2016 the port signed a long term agreement with DP World, who have invested millions including two new post-panamax cranes in 2023.
“Port Saint John is vital to the economy of the city and by extension to the whole of Atlantic Canada,” said Wayne Long, Member of Parliament for Saint John–Rothesay, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. “This remarkable modernization of the facility has already generated substantial investments from the private sector, has created good employment and has allowed the Port to nearly double the volume of cargo it handles. This major upgrade of the Port will help the economy locally, provincially and nationally by connecting communities to global trade opportunities.”
“The Modernization Project at the Port of Saint John has been transformational for the city and the province,” said Arlene Dunn, Minister of Post Secondary Education Training and Labor and MLA for Saint John Harbor. “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Saint John Port Authority on their vision to modernize the port and completing the project on time and on budget during a challenging time with global supply chain issues. The province is extremely pleased to have been a funding partner in this project and today is a celebration of a collective success.”
“Port Saint John is proud to announce the completion of the Modernization project that has positioned us to be a critical part of Canada’s supply chain,” said Craig Bell Estabrooks CEO of Port Saint John. “In 2022 our terminal throughput nearly doubled to 151,000TEU and in 2023 we were one of the only ports in North America to see container volumes grow as global trade was down. Our government partners have continually supported our vision for growth and now we are seeing that vision come to reality.”
