The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced it will issue a request for qualifications in July 2025 for a construction partner to deliver the landmass and wharf component of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project—a significant step towards delivering the project.
The new marine container terminal at the Port of Vancouver is a transformational, nation building project that will support Canada’s economic security and trade resilience, enabling the trade of more than $100 billion in goods annually once fully operational.
More than 18,000 jobs will be created during construction, and once operational the new terminal is anticipated to generate more than 17,000 well-paying, long-term jobs and add more than $3 billion in GDP annually.
Based on ongoing discussions with industry, the port authority will pursue a progressive design-build procurement model. This approach will allow for greater flexibility in the design process, strengthen collaboration, and enhance cost and schedule certainty.
The contract will include the delivery of a marine terminal landmass; wharf structure and berth pocket; widened causeway; expanded tug basin; and environmental mitigation and offsetting projects. Procurement opportunities for other components of the project will be available in the coming years.
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will support affordability for Canadians and supply chain reliability for Canadian businesses; and create lasting benefits for local communities. Twenty-seven Indigenous groups have provided consent for the project to proceed.
In 2023, the federal and provincial governments approved the project following a rigorous environmental assessment process. In 2024, the port authority submitted a Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act Authorization application to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with a joint commitment with government and regulators for a decision no later than October 2026.
Construction mobilization and early works are expected to occur in 2027, with major land reclamation works expected to begin in 2028. Terminal operations are set to begin in the mid-2030s.
(VFPA artist rendering of RBT2)