Prince Rupert Port Authority
Encyclopedia
The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is a port authority
operating under the Canada Marine Act as an autonomous and commercially viable agency. PRPA has responsibility for all federally-owned waterfront properties on Prince Rupert Harbour, located in and around the city of Prince Rupert
on the North Coast of British Columbia
.
The PRPA was created on May 1, 1999 and succeeds the Prince Rupert Port Corporation (PRPC). Prince Rupert was among 8 national ports in Canada which implemented this administrative change on this date, as required by the Canada Marine Act which passed on June 11, 1998. PRPC was the successor to the National Harbours Board
, which previously operated all federally owned ports in Canada.
PRPA reports to the Minister of Transport
and has a Board of Directors typically consisting of local business and community figures. In the past, the appointment process to the boards of Canada's port authorities has been criticized as they have frequently been used for political patronage
.
All PRPA facilities are serviced by CN Rail
.
in 1914 and its development had been promoted by Grand Trunk Railway
president Charles Melville Hays
as an alternative to the Port of Vancouver, which was serviced by the Canadian Pacific
and Canadian Northern
railways.
In 1919, the Grand Trunk Pacific fell into bankruptcy and was nationalized
by the federal government and merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR). The port was expanded during World War II
to support Canadian and United States
military action in the Pacific Theatre, notably in the Alaska
Territory. In 1975, the federal government declared the Port of Prince Rupert a "National Harbour", followed by several years of construction of various facilities such as the Fairview Terminal and Ridley Terminals. A 1989 expansion of the Fairview Terminal added a third berth and 6.5 ha of storage area. In 1989, 1,705 total vessels, including 468 deep sea vessels, with 11,332,000 tonnes of cargo move through the port.
In April 2005, it was announced that the Fairview Terminal would be converted into an intermodal container shipping terminal, given Prince Rupert's advantages of having a location along the Pacific Great Circle Route between Asia
and the west coast of North America
; which makes it the first inbound and last outbound port of call, as well as having the deepest natural harbour depths on the continent. Because the port at Prince Rupert is closer to Asia on the Pacific Great Circle route, and with the city of Prince Rupert having less municipal congestion than other West Coast ports, additional rail infrastructure investments toward Canada's heartland should cut time from East Asian markets to North American destinations. Sea travel time to the West Coast, time in processing the containers in port, and the time in getting products to the Midwestern United States
would be more efficient. The overall time from ports like Busan
, Hong Kong
, Kaohsiung
, Shanghai
, and Singapore
in Asia and to eventual Midwest destinations like, Chicago, Detroit
, Milwaukee
, Minneapolis
, and St. Louis
, should see time and cost reductions.
On September 12, 2007, phase 1 the Fairview Terminal opened for business and is expecting its first container ship (from COSCO
) in October. Phase 1 has an annual container-handling capacity of only 500,000 TEUs. However Phase 2, due to be completed late in 2010, will increase the Port of Prince Rupert's capacity to 2 million TEUs, and to 4 million TEUs by 2015, and there is extensive capacity for further expansion. This will provide much-needed relief to the congested west-coast ports of North America. The containerization of the Fairview Terminal is an important part of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative
of the Government of Canada
and the Pacific Gateway
strategy of the Province of British Columbia
.
The second phase expansion has been protested by some First Nations
groups, saying that the PRPA failed to consult them. Another group in Delta
is lobbying for the expansion of the Prince Rupert port in order that the port at Delta will not be expanded.
Port authority
In Canada and the United States a port authority is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure.Port authorities are usually governed by boards or...
operating under the Canada Marine Act as an autonomous and commercially viable agency. PRPA has responsibility for all federally-owned waterfront properties on Prince Rupert Harbour, located in and around the city of Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
on the North Coast of British Columbia
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
.
The PRPA was created on May 1, 1999 and succeeds the Prince Rupert Port Corporation (PRPC). Prince Rupert was among 8 national ports in Canada which implemented this administrative change on this date, as required by the Canada Marine Act which passed on June 11, 1998. PRPC was the successor to the National Harbours Board
National Harbours Board
The National Harbours Board was the administrative body that controlled the business and service operations in major Canadian ports in the years 1936 to 1983 and was also responsible for coordination and determination of policy, and planning and engineering of capital works. It reported on its...
, which previously operated all federally owned ports in Canada.
PRPA reports to the Minister of Transport
Minister of Transport (Canada)
The Minister of Transport is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada...
and has a Board of Directors typically consisting of local business and community figures. In the past, the appointment process to the boards of Canada's port authorities has been criticized as they have frequently been used for political patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
.
Facilities
PRPA port facilities include:- Atlin Terminal
- Northlands Terminal
- Lightening Dock
- Ocean Dock
- Westview Dock
- Fairview Terminal
- Prince Rupert Grain
- Ridley Terminals
- Sulphur Corporation
All PRPA facilities are serviced by CN Rail
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
.
| Terminal | Operator | Depth (m) |
Berths | Quay length (m) |
Quay cranes | Area (m²) |
Capacity (kTEUs) |
References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview (Phase 1) | PRPA | 16 | 1 | 400 | 3 | 234,718 | 500 | |
| Fairview (Phase 2) | PRPA | 16 | 5 | 800 | 8-12 | 667,731 | 2000 |
History
The Port of Prince Rupert was built upon the completion of the Grand Trunk Pacific RailwayGrand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
in 1914 and its development had been promoted by Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
president Charles Melville Hays
Charles Melville Hays
Charles Melville Hays was an American railway executive of the Grand Trunk Railway. He died at sea on the RMS Titanic.-Early years:...
as an alternative to the Port of Vancouver, which was serviced by the Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and Canadian Northern
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
railways.
In 1919, the Grand Trunk Pacific fell into bankruptcy and was nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
by the federal government and merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR). The port was expanded during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to support Canadian and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military action in the Pacific Theatre, notably in the Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Territory. In 1975, the federal government declared the Port of Prince Rupert a "National Harbour", followed by several years of construction of various facilities such as the Fairview Terminal and Ridley Terminals. A 1989 expansion of the Fairview Terminal added a third berth and 6.5 ha of storage area. In 1989, 1,705 total vessels, including 468 deep sea vessels, with 11,332,000 tonnes of cargo move through the port.
In April 2005, it was announced that the Fairview Terminal would be converted into an intermodal container shipping terminal, given Prince Rupert's advantages of having a location along the Pacific Great Circle Route between Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the west coast of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
; which makes it the first inbound and last outbound port of call, as well as having the deepest natural harbour depths on the continent. Because the port at Prince Rupert is closer to Asia on the Pacific Great Circle route, and with the city of Prince Rupert having less municipal congestion than other West Coast ports, additional rail infrastructure investments toward Canada's heartland should cut time from East Asian markets to North American destinations. Sea travel time to the West Coast, time in processing the containers in port, and the time in getting products to the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
would be more efficient. The overall time from ports like Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, Hong Kong
Port of Hong Kong
The Port of Hong Kong, located by the South China Sea, is a deepwater seaport dominated by trade in containerised manufactured products, and to a lesser extent raw materials and passengers. A key factor in the economic development of Hong Kong, the natural shelter and deep waters of Victoria...
, Kaohsiung
Port of Kaohsiung
The Port of Kaohsiung is the largest harbor in Taiwan, handling approximately 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units worth of cargo in 2007. The port is located in southern Taiwan, adjacent to Kaohsiung City, surrounded by the city districts of Gushan, Yancheng, Lingya, Cianjhen, Siaogang, and...
, Shanghai
Port of Shanghai
The Port of Shanghai, located in the vicinity of Shanghai, comprises a deep-sea port and a river port.In 2010, Shanghai port overtook Singapore port to become the world's busiest container port...
, and Singapore
Port of Singapore
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Singapore's harbours and which handle Singapore's shipping...
in Asia and to eventual Midwest destinations like, Chicago, Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, should see time and cost reductions.
On September 12, 2007, phase 1 the Fairview Terminal opened for business and is expecting its first container ship (from COSCO
COSCO
China Ocean Shipping Company, known as COSCO or COSCO Group, is one of the largest liner shipping companies worldwide. It is a government owned company of the People's Republic of China...
) in October. Phase 1 has an annual container-handling capacity of only 500,000 TEUs. However Phase 2, due to be completed late in 2010, will increase the Port of Prince Rupert's capacity to 2 million TEUs, and to 4 million TEUs by 2015, and there is extensive capacity for further expansion. This will provide much-needed relief to the congested west-coast ports of North America. The containerization of the Fairview Terminal is an important part of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative
Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative
The Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative is an integrated set of investment and policy measures of the Canadian federal government that are focused on trade with the Asia-Pacific Region.-The Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor:...
of the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
and the Pacific Gateway
Pacific Gateway
The Pacific Gateway is a strategy of the Government of British Columbia to build new and upgraded road, rail, port and airport infrastructure which will provide importers with a reliable link in the North American supply chain and exporters with greater access to foreign markets. It is similar to...
strategy of the Province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
The second phase expansion has been protested by some First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
groups, saying that the PRPA failed to consult them. Another group in Delta
Delta, British Columbia
Delta is a district municipality in British Columbia, and forms part of Metro Vancouver. Located south of Richmond, it is bordered by the Fraser River to the north, the United States to the south and the city of Surrey to the east...
is lobbying for the expansion of the Prince Rupert port in order that the port at Delta will not be expanded.
Funding for Container Terminal
The Canadian $170 million terminal project, with a design capacity of 500,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) has been funded by five partners:- Maher Terminals, $60 million, including the three super-post panamax cranes
- Government of CanadaGovernment of CanadaThe Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
: Western Economic Diversification CanadaWestern Economic Diversification CanadaWestern Economic Diversification Canada is a Canadian federal department that works towards building strong, competitive and innovative businesses and communities in Western Canada...
, $30 million - Province of British Columbia, $30 million
- CN Rail, $25 million towards the terminal's rail-related infrastructure
- Prince Rupert Port Authority, $25 million