Montreal Port Authority presents plans for new container terminal

The port’s planned project to construct a container terminal capable of handling 1.14 million TEUs per year on its land in Contrecouer has been submitted to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.    The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) on Thursday presented plans for a new, large-scale container terminal project in the city of Contrecoeur that it said would support the growth of the container market and generate economic development for Montreal, Quebec and Eastern Canada.
   For several years, the port authority has been planning a container terminal on its land in Contrecoeur on Montreal’s South Shore, a land reserve it acquired between 1988 and 1992.
   The port authority said that it considers the area a strategic location for container handling because of nearby rail and road networks, as well as the proximity of the markets it serves. In addition, the site is located in an industrial area with space available for industrial and logistics development.
   Main components of the project include two berths and a container handling area, an intermodal rail yard connected to the main network, and a truck entry portal connected to the road network.
   The project, which has been submitted to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, would make it possible to handle 1.14 million TEUs per year when completed, bringing the port’s total container handling capacity to 2.1 million TEUs.
   “This additional port space that will become the Contrecoeur container terminal will make it possible to support the growth of this business segment and make the most of the economic and commercial opportunities arising from emerging markets,” project head and MPA Vice-President of Operations Daniel Dagenais said in a statement.
   “As the only container port in Quebec and the largest port in Eastern Canada, the Port of Montreal is planning its future development to support growth and enable Quebec and Eastern Canada to stay competitive with the large American ports that are investing massively in their infrastructures,” the port authority said.
   Public information sessions regarding the project are planned to be held in Contrecoeur from Feb. 27 to March 1.