Atlantic trade turns high velocity through Port of Halifax
Ideally situated along the east coast of North America, the Port of Halifax is renowned among shippers for high-velocity cargo turnaround. It is one day closer to Southeast Asia via the Suez Canal than any other east coast container port.
Ideally situated along the east coast of North America, the Port of Halifax is renowned among shippers for high-velocity cargo turnaround. It is one day closer to Southeast Asia via the Suez Canal than any other east coast container port.
With container berth depths of 13.7m to 15.2m, the Port of Halifax is also the only port on the east coast that can handle fully laden post-Panamax container vessels. It is poised to become an Asian trade hub with C$115 billion (HK$808 billion) worth of energy and mining projects underway in Atlantic Canada.
"Halifax is well-positioned for growth in the Asian market," says Karen Oldfield, president and CEO of Halifax Port Authority (HPA). "We have the infrastructure and the expertise to ensure the full realisation of trade opportunities in Atlantic Canada."
Asian shipments account for almost 50 per cent of the port's container traffic. This is largely due to Chinese trade, which HPA has sustained through face-to-face and virtual networking in Asia since 2005. Exports of Atlantic lobster, a major selling point in China, nearly tripled in 2011. Surf clams and sea cucumber have also become popular commodities in the seafood trade. The opportunities magnify with new sources of potash from New Brunswick, nickel and iron ore from Newfoundland and Labrador, and zinc from Nova Scotia coming onstream over the next few years.
The infrastructure is in place for surging trade. Halifax, which has the world's second-largest natural harbour and the deepest container berths on the North American eastern seaboard, is the largest full-service port in Atlantic Canada. The port is highly competitive, with new infrastructure and seamless intermodal connections following investments worth C$35 million into its South End Container Terminal and Richmond Terminals.
The facility upgrades are well-timed for the Royal Canadian Navy's fleet modernisation, a 20-year project slated for the Halifax Shipyard starting in 2015.
Halifax's growing logistics park, which offers value-added transloading services and warehouse opportunities, affords Chinese manufacturers easy access to and from the North American heartland. Shipments can also reach Chicago within 74 hours via double-stack rail service and can get to Montreal, Toronto, Boston and New York within two hours by air.
As a sister port to Shenzhen, HPA seeks to deepen regional ties between Atlantic Canada and Asia.
"We're aiming for critical mass around fast-growing areas, especially the Pearl River Delta," Oldfield says. "We look forward to working with the Transport Commission of Shenzhen Municipality to achieve this. By building relationships of trust, we can bring all partners together for the benefit of our great nations."
www.portofhalifax.ca
