MAJOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AT THE PORT OF QUÉBEC ANNOUNCED IN 2019
06/19/2020
Québec City, June 19, 2020 – At its virtual annual public meeting today, the Québec Port Authority(QPA) took stock of its activities in 2019, a year marked by high tonnage and the announcement of historic development projects totalling close to $1 billion over four years.
In 2019 the Port of Québec posted an increase in tonnage for the fourth year in a row, with a total of 29 million tonnes of cargo handled. Increases in tonnage were most notable for cargo related to the energy, steel and mining and metal industries.
Record investments announced in 2019
Last year, work worth a total of $169 million was launched at the Port of Québec, including establishment of the Sollio Agriculture grain export marine terminal and repairs to port facilities such as the drawbridge and certain docks, all made possible thanks to financial support from the Government of Canada through the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF). In addition, the Laurentia project, with a total estimated cost of $775 million, was also announced. In all, these projects represent a value of nearly $1 billion in investments in the port over the next four years.
Most noteworthy, in spring 2019, the QPA laid the groundwork for its Laurentia project, an intermodal container terminal. As a result of the business agreement announced with Hutchison Ports and Canadian National (CN), the partners are aggressively proceeding with the planning for one of the most significant developments in the Port of Québec’s history. The Québec Container Terminal will be one of the most technologically advanced terminals in the world and will be among the greenest in North America. The partnership agreement with Hutchison Ports, the world’s largest container terminal operator, and CN, North America’s premier rail operator, will reinvigorate international trade growth on the St. Lawrence River and make Canada more competitive with U.S. ports.
One month ago, the QPA launched a call for qualification of design-build consortiums for its container terminal to prepare to begin construction on Laurentia in the spring of 2021 once all environmental approvals and the required government authorizations are received.
“We’re very proud to look back at the historic tripartite agreement signed in May 2019 between the Port, Hutchison Ports, and CN,” said Mario Girard, President and CEO of the Québec Port Authority. “Over the past year, our partners and teams at the Port have been very proactive in brining the project to fruition, and we’ve developed a solid business relationship that bodes very well for Laurentia’s success.”
United, at a distance, in the face of COVID-19
From the outset of the lockdown, the Port of Québec was determined to send the Québec City community a positive message full of hope by illuminating the Estuaire grain elevators in rainbow colours. “In these unprecedented times, we wanted to make a gesture of solidarity to reinforce the message that ‘everything’s going to be OK,’” said Girard.
Since then, this show of lights has moved many Québecers eager to echo this powerful symbol of solidarity.
Wanting to do more, the Port mobilized a team of volunteer employees equipped with Port vehicles to help community organizations deliver food staples in the boroughs of La Cité-Limoilou, Québec City, and Lévis.
Since the launch of this initiative, a number of QPA employees have worked tirelessly to meet the many needs of these organizations, including storing and delivering food and handing out meals. In all, the Port has helped out seven different organizations.
As an essential service dedicated to the transhipment of critical goods, such as grains for pasta and other food items or nickel for manufacturing telecommunications devices and surgical instruments, the Port of Québec has kept its commercial operations going strong for the past 15 weeks, thanks to its partners and handling and service companies. The QPA salutes the efforts of the thousands of workers who have kept this supply chain running smoothly despite the hardships of the past weeks.
The Québec Port Authority is an autonomous federal agency constituted under the Canada Marine Act. The ships that pass through the Port are central to a supply chain that carries approximately $20 billion in goods each year. The Port of Québec is a maritime hub that generates and supports over 13,000 direct and indirect jobs according to the latest KPMG/SECOR study.
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For more information:
Julie Turmel
Québec Port Authority
418 648-3640
julie.turmel@portQuébec.ca