Global Container Terminals (GCT), a Canadian port operator, has submitted a proposal for the expansion of the port of Vancouver and the construction of a new box terminal.
GCT's proposal comes with the name "Deltaport Fourth Berth Expansion Project (DP4)", which is currently undergoing federal and provincial impact assessments, and conflicts with the proposal of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) for the new container hub.
GCT's vice president of public affairs, Marko Dekovic told Container News that "current studies have shown DP4 to be a more environmentally responsible project, with a much smaller footprint and limited to no impact on biofilm, indigenous crabbing grounds and fish."
Furthermore, Dekovic noted that GCT's proposed project will cost approximately US$1.2 billion, privately funded and significantly less expensive than VFPA's Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project.
Deltaport Fourth Berth Expansion Project is expected to add 2 million TEUs of container capacity to the overall capacity of the port of Vancouver, while it is scheduled to be completed by the mid-2030s. The new terminal, according to GCT's plans, will cover 560,000 m².
Speaking to Container News, Dekovic commented, "the fact is that the Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change has noted the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) has provided the requested information and now has sufficient information to restart the government decision-making."
"The RBT2 project is not approved nor has it been found to be 'ecologically friendly'," he pointed out.
Dekovic went out to add, "the Minister’s letter of 23 January notes that as a result of the information provided, 'the federal timeline for the issuance of a decision statement for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project will resume.' It is only the VFPA claiming the additional information further demonstrated the project could be completed in an environmentally responsible manner."
A group of scientists has written to Steven Guilbeault, Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change, urging him to reject VFPA's proposed Roberts Bank Terminal II (RBT2) project.
Dekovic concluded that "the Minister and the Government of Canada must decide if they will heed the advice of scientists and the independent review panel which found that the project 'would result in numerous significant adverse residual and cumulative effects, including on Dungeness crab, ocean-type juvenile Chinook salmon, and on the Southern Resident Killer Whale' or not."
