Prince Rupert commissions shore-based radar system
The Port of Prince Rupert has commissioned a new shore-based radar regime designed to safely accommodate the port’s growth in vessel traffic and international trade, the Port Authority said in a press release.
Shore-based radar builds on the existing vessel traffic service that provides active vessel monitoring and navigational information to vessels at the Port of Prince Rupert. Transmitting data from three tower sites across the port’s coastal shores, the system provides coverage ranging from the northeast of Haida Gwaii to the Alaskan border.
The $5 million project was jointly funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Prince Rupert Port Authority, with ongoing operation and maintenance of the radar system provided by the Canadian Coast Guard (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). The system improves the capability of the organizations responsible for vessel monitoring and management to prevent vessel incidents in the harbour, a monitoring and response regime that works around the clock.
Quick facts:
The Port of Prince Rupert stewards 35,000 acres of tidal water between its inner and outer harbour.
Its six cargo and passenger terminals see roughly 20 million tonnes of bulk, container and project cargo shipped through the Port annually.
The Port of Prince Rupert directly employs 3,220 staff and generates $390 million in gross domestic product.
