Metro Ports handles wood pellets at Prince Rupert

   Metro Ports Canada Ltd., a Newfoundland and Labrador company that is owned by Nautilus International Holding Corp., has entered an agreement with Pinnacle Renewable Energy in British Columbia to manage its Westview Terminal operation, a wood pellet railcar receiving, storage and vessel loading facility in the Port of Prince Rupert.
   “Metro Ports Canada is most pleased to bring its services to the west coast of Canada,” said James Callahan, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Nautilus International, in a statement. “It is a satisfying achievement to have the Nautilus companies continuing their international expansion.”
   Pinnacle is a privately held company and the largest producer of wood pellets in the world and biggest exporter of pellets to Europe and Asia from Canada. The company currently owns and operates six pellet plants across British Columbia with a production capacity of more than 1.2 million tons a year.
   The Westview Terminal wood pellet export facility is designed specifically to receive wood pellets transported by rail from production plants in the interior of British Columbia, store in purpose-built storage silos, and load into bulk ocean vessels destined for overseas markets. The terminal includes a private rail siding, a high-speed railcar unloading system, state-of-the-art safety and monitoring systems, and a high-capacity shiploader, capable of accommodating Panamax class vessels up to 75,000 deadweight tons, Metro Ports said.