By Sean Yoon
Source: Business in Vancouver
Crops grown in the Prairies and the U.S. Midwest are transported in rail cars from agricultural shippers to be unloaded at Ray-Mont’s facility in Prince Rupert via a conveyor unloading system. Cargo is then transferred and loaded into ocean containers for export via the Fairview Container Terminal.
The 10-acre facility includes a rail loop corridor with 100 railcars, a grain dumper pit and a conveyance system, and is expected to employ about 40 people.
“It is our pleasure to be working with the Prince Rupert Port Authority and its partners to establish a new transload facility in the Port of Prince Rupert, and continue to pioneer efficient services for connecting North American crops to overseas customers,” said Charles Raymond, president and CEO of Ray-Mont, in a news release.
“[The Port of Prince Rupert] is one of the largest deep-sea ports in North America, which enables larger vessels to dock, and larger vessels mean the ability to carry more cargo,” said Stathatos.
“Up until now in Canada, our West Coast port was Vancouver, and with the growth and demand needs of the Asian market, it was almost impossible for us to continue our growth with that one port. So, for years now, we’ve been trying to find ways to increase the ability for our customers to export cargo, and Vancouver was always a challenge. Prince Rupert allows us a secondary outlet out of the West Coast, so we can actually now increase those Canadian exports.”
The company also has terminal facilities in Montreal and Vancouver, handling about 70,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) or shipping containers.
The new site in Prince Rupert is expected to add an additional 2,500 TEUs a month to the company’s profile.