The Port of Prince Rupert is off to a strong start in 2015 with the majority of terminals seeing a year-over-year increase in tonnage.
Following a record year in 2014, Fairview Terminal saw the number of TEUs handled increase by 23.5 per cent, climbing from 49,191.75 last January to 60,758.75 this January. Included in that number is a 14.9 per cent increase in imports, from 30,480.75 last year to 36,021 this January, and an export increase of 37.55 per cent.
However, the number of loaded containers being exported through Prince Rupert fell 21.25 per cent, dropping from 13,308 TEUs last year to 10,480 TEUs last month.
Along with Fairview Terminal, Prince Rupert Grain saw year-over-year increases following record volumes in 2014. Last month the terminal handled 604,833.75 tonnes of product compared to 436,992 tonnes last January, an increase of 38.41 per cent led by a 106 per cent increase in canola volumes handled.
The harbour, which ended last year down more than 15 per cent, saw log exports increase 6.38 per cent from 60,145 tonnes to 63,981 tonnes this year.
However, both Ridley Terminals Inc. (RTI) and Westview Terminal saw a drop in tonnage.
RTI, which ended last year down 41.09 per cent compared to 2013, had a 24.55 per cent drop in tonnage from 617,031 tonnes to 465,576 tonnes. Thermal coal was behind the drop, with tonnage falling from 311,030 tonnes to 74,862 tonnes, a drop of more than 75 per cent.
Westview Terminal tonnage dropped by more than 10 per cent, falling from 53,132 tonnes to 47,441 tonnes this January.
Overall tonnage through the Port of Prince Rupert was up slightly from 1.66 million tonnes last January to 1.79 million tonnes this year, a jump of 7.65 per cent.
