The Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, has announced an investment of up to $600,000, under the National Trade Corridors Fund, for the Nanaimo Port Authority to study various supply chain improvements.

The study will focus on: the expansion of container handling capacity; the development of land near the port to support economic growth, job creation, and trade; and the assessment of potential improvements to the transportation of cargo by sea over short distances between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

For example, the study will determine the possibility of expanding the Vancouver Island’s Duke Point Terminal, to help alleviate bottlenecks at Vancouver’s deep-sea terminals. It will also explore the feasibility of improving the terminal’s infrastructure, providing better connectivity to transfer cargo from barges to rail cars on the mainland.

The Pacific region could see increased import/export capacity of goods from the forestry and agriculture sectors, as well as seafood and other food sectors.

(Photo of Duke Point Terminal)