The Port of Montreal’s container terminal project at Contrecœur crosses a key milestone in its progress
At a technical briefing for the media, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) presented its container terminal project at Contrecœur. This large-scale project aims to support the growth of the container market, a sector that generates economic development for Montreal, Quebec and Eastern Canada.
As part of the presentation, the MPA released the main findings of the project’s environmental impact assessment, which has just been made public by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) and will be the subject of public consultation organized by the CEAA, including information sessions from February 27 to March 1.
The MPA has been handling containers for more than 50 years and growth has been nonstop in this business segment. The Viau container terminal, commissioned in 2016, is tangible proof of this sustained growth. When completed, the new terminal will bring the Port’s total container handling capacity to 2.1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) on the Island of Montreal.
“This additional port space that will become the Contrecœur container terminal will make it possible to support the growth of this business segment and make the most of the economic and commercial opportunities arising from emerging markets, the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Quebec Maritime Strategy,” said Daniel Dagenais, Vice-President, Operations and head of the project at the MPA.
So as the only container port in Quebec and the largest port in Eastern Canada, the Port of Montreal is planning its future development to support growth and enable Quebec and Eastern Canada to stay competitive with the large American ports that are investing massively in their infrastructures.
For several years, the MPA has been planning a container terminal on its land in Contrecœur on Montreal’s South Shore, a land reserve it acquired between 1988 and 1992. This is a strategic location for container handling because of its favourable geometry, nearby rail and road networks and the proximity of the markets it serves. In addition to providing flexibility to meet long-term needs, the target site is located in a non-urban area with space available for industrial and logistics development.
The project submitted to the CEAA will make it possible, when completed, to handle 1.14 million TEUs per year.
