Port of Montreal sets sights on future growth

Staff -- Logistics Management, 4/22/2008

MONTREAL—A new project proposed by Patrice M. Pelletier, the new president and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) promises to increase the port’s capacity and develop new markets for the port by 2020, according to an MPA statement.

Pelletier said his plan will create $3.4 billion in annual value-added revenue and create 41,400 jobs—more than doubling the current $1.5 billion in annual value-added return and 18,200 jobs.

The new plan proposed for the MPA is comprised of the following:

• Phase 1, an optimization of the port’s current infrastructures to increase operational efficiency and expand the port’s capacity;
• Phase 2, redeveloping existing sites for optimum bulk and container storage;
• Phase 3, developing new infrastructure in the east end of Montreal and Contrecoeur; and
• Phase 4, allowing the port to increase its capacity to 4.5 million TEU (Twenty-foot equivalent units).

Pelletier said that container transport growth, coupled with the growth of global traffic, will continue to rise in the coming years, and it is the “core” of the port’s growth strategy.

“Since the early 1990s, world container traffic has grown almost three times faster than the GDP,” said Pelletier. “By 2020 container traffic is expected to grow by nearly 7 percent a year. We must act right away to obtain a large share of this traffic.”