Vancouver welcomes government decision on Deltaport expansion

Vancouver welcomes government decision on Deltaport expansion    The Vancouver Port Authority Friday welcomed a decision by Canada’s Minister of Environment, Rona Ambrose, that the Deltaport Third Berth Project (DP3) is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.
   The DP3 will increase capacity at Deltaport by 50 percent by adding a third berth and 20 hectares of container storage facilities to the existing terminal located at Roberts Bank, in Delta, B.C. The port said, in a statement issued by Gordon Houston, president and chief executive officer, that the project is a critical component of Canada’s Pacific Gateway Strategy and the VPA’s initiative to expand container handling facilities to capture the significant increases in container volumes predicted over the next 20 years.
   The Deltaport expansion project is an agreement between the port authority and terminal operator TSI Terminal Systems Inc., who will share the capital cost of about $300 million (Canadian). The authority will oversee the marine construction, habitat compensation, and long-term environmental monitoring components while TSI will undertake the yard construction and equipment acquisition.