World Trade - March 2009 - (Page 22) WEST COAST PORTS BLUES Containerized freight is down across the board at West Coast ports, but a diversified cargo mix is helping to shore up business. BY LARA L. SOWINSKI Box Traffic W hile there are some sporadic signs of life in the overall containerized freight market, by and large the volumes are down sharply from a year ago and the short- to medium-term outlook is dicey at best. Yet, ports along the West Coast are keeping things afloat by concentrating on a more diversified mix of cargo, boosting their green business (in terms of more environmentally and efficient operations as well as moving cargo such as wind turbines), and investing in key infrastructure upgrades. Canada’s Port of Prince Rupert showed the biggest improvement in box traffic, mostly because it is the newest player in the market with its Fairview Terminal having opened in late October 2007. During 2008, the Fairview Terminal handled 181,890 TEUs from 78 vessels. The terminal’s throughput for the first six months of last year was 42,555 TEUs before jumping more than 300 percent in the second half of the year to 139,335 TEUs as a result of the addition of the second COSCO/ 2009 CKYH alliance service in July. In the fourth quarter, the terminal operated at greater than 60 percent of its 500,000 TEU capacity with a throughput of 79,106 TEUs. The Port of Prince Rupert boasts a shorter sailing distance from Asia to North America than other major ports, and the deepest harbor in North America with year-round ice-free access that can accommodate the largest vessels. In addition, the port offers high-speed rail links to the Midwest via Canadian National railways. Officials are bullish on the port’s future, and are planning to quadruple the container terminal’s handling capacity to 2 million TEUs during the second phase of expansion, with design, environmental assessment, and consultations already underway. At Port Metro Vancouver, the largest port in Canada, containerized freight was essentially flat in 2008, although the port did post increases in shipments of coal, potash, and petroleum products. 22 WORLD TRADE MARCH
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