Proposed new container terminal for Québec

Under the auspices of the Beauport 2020 expansion project, the plan is the culmination of a lengthy process by the QPA to identify a way forward to accommodate larger containerships and better compete in the North American market.

In a speech to the Québec City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, port president and CEO Mario Girard stressed that the Port of Québec has all the strategic advantages needed to carry out the major project.

“Our vision is simple and strategic: Make Québec City a hub for maritime logistics on the continent,” he said.

“We’ll succeed by rallying around this promising project. More than ever, we must join forces to make the St. Lawrence more competitive.”

Economic hub

He added that for the Québec City area and St Lawrence, this project could potentially create a new international economic hub geared toward logistics, distribution centres, and new businesses.

The opening of the new 15-metre-deep Panama Canal in 2016 and the emergence of next-generation ships requiring deep-water ports is completely changing the landscape of commercial shipping, he said.

This new 15-metre standard makes it harder for St Lawrence, as it currently stands, to compete with American ports in the container market so the project is much needed.

The Beauport container terminal project is a $400 million investment which would include a 610-metre extension of the wharf line Development of 17-hectare area behind the wharf link-up with existing rail and road networks.