Record growth trajectory evoked for Port Saint John

By Maritime Magazine
2023-06-09

The fastest growing container port on the Eastern Seaboard and in Canada, is about to experience exponential growth, all while working responsibly and with the community in mind, according to President and CEO of CPKC, Keith Creel who spoke to a full house at the Trade and Convention Centre at Saint John Port Days.

In his inaugural speech since the merger of Class I railways Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS), which made CPKC the first and only transnational rail network in North America, Mr. Creel praised the Port’s growth and continued expansion rate, stated a press release from the New Brunswick port.

CP began calling into the Port in 2020 and with the recent merger of CP and KCS they have created the only 20,000-mile railway stretching from Canada through to the U.S. and Mexico. The line now stretches from Vancouver, B.C., to Saint John, N.B. and onwards to New Orleans, Houston, and Mexico City, connecting ports along the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

In addressing several hundred business leaders who attended the keynote lunch, Keith Creel shared CPKC’s commitment to sustainable growth and strategic collaboration. “We’re going to work hard every day to continue not only to earn and thank you for your trust, and for your respect, but to continue working with you shoulder to shoulder to ensure that the Port of Saint John and New Brunswick realizes its potential.”

Last year, Port Saint John and its partners exceeded the milestone of 100,000 TEUs of cargo passing through the Port, going on to end the year with more than 150,000 TEUs in throughput and an annual growth rate of 72 per cent – the largest container volume the Port has ever processed in a single year. With hundreds of millions in investments from the private sector, government, and the Port itself, Port Saint John will soon have capacity to reach 800,000 TEUs, said the press release.

“In many ways, Port Saint John and our region are entering a bold new era. With our partners we’ve created a new global gateway in Saint John and in New Brunswick. There’s no other place on the Eastern Seaboard that has been able to make this happen,” affirmed Craig Bell Estabrooks, President and CEO of Port Saint John.

(Photo from Port Saint John)