Expanding Canada’s biggest port: The Robert Banks Terminal 2 project

The Robert Banks Terminal 2 project would see a substantial expansion to Canada’s biggest port.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is in the process of obtaining approvals and working with the federal government to facilitate the construction of a new port terminal in Delta, adding on to the existing Robert Banks Superport.

In response to a request for an interview with the Journal of Commerce, a spokesperson pointed to a plethora of documents submitted to and published by the federal government regarding the proposed terminal.

If approved, a new three-berth marine container terminal would be constructed in deep subtidal waters to minimize environmental effects, according to the project rationale.

The Port of Vancouver is the busiest port in Canada and as such one of the economic strongholds of the country. It is projected that current terminal space will not be able to meet demand by the mid-2020s.

In 2018, the Port of Vancouver handled 3.4 million twenty-foot equivalents (TEU), the measurement of shipping containers. This number is expected to reach 8 million by 2040.

Robert Banks Terminal 2 is intended to alleviate this demand by providing 2.4 million TEUs. The wharf is projected to be 1,300 metres long, capable of accommodating three moored vessels simultaneously.

The completed terminal will include the wharf, a container storage yard, crane systems for moving product, a rail intermodal yard with electric rail mounted gantry cranes, expansion of the existing tug basin and widening of the existing causeway for infrastructure.

It is estimated construction will result in 12,700 person-years of employment equating to $1 billion in wages, while operation of the completed terminal could result in 12,400 person-years of employment or $840 million in wages, according to the rationale.

Work on the project began in 2013 and it is still in the assessment phase. Environmental assessments are currently being undertaken by the federal and provincial governments. An environmental impact study has already been submitted by the port authority and is under review by an independent panel.

In August 2020, in a response to concerns raised by the Federal Review Panel, the federal government paused its decision-making process, requesting more information from the authority before it could continue.

The panel’s findings included a lack of sufficient offsetting habitat to make up for the 177 hectares lost due to the terminal’s construction and a series of adverse effects on animals such as killer whales and salmon, on local communities due to noise and light pollution, on Indigenous communities’ access to cultural sites and other factors.

However, the panel stated the “construction and operation of the proposed project do not pose major technical challenges. The purpose of the project is consistent with Canada’s role as a trading nation and the project would enable an increase in container terminal capacity on Canada’s West Coast.”

“The project would also support competitiveness for Canadian markets linked to a marine shipping supply chain facing important changes.”

In December 2021, the port authority offered a detailed response to each of the concerns raised by the panel and made several commitments in order to mitigate some of the issues.

“We remain confident that the project can be built in a way that upholds our federal mandate to protect the environment and consider local communities while enabling Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver,” reads the authority’s response to the request.

In order to continue the assessment, the port authority committed to creating 86 hectares of offsetting habitat, a modified design to lessen negative impacts on juvenile salmon, the creation of a marine shipping follow-up program element and efforts to mitigate effects on resident orca populations, an analysis of job creation opportunities and the creation of a biofilm habitat guidance creation manual and biofilm creation project.

A final decision on whether the terminal construction will move ahead has yet to be released. Keep an eye on the Journal of Commerce for updates on this aquatic megaproject.

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