The Port of Halifax is considering moving its container terminal to the Dartmouth side of the harbour in a bid to relieve the downtown container truck congestion for the city, and as part of a wider master plan to improve the port, reported CBC news.
The port is undergoing lots of development to make it “Mega-Ship ready”, as it is currently unable to berth the new generation container ships; the authority also aims to create the capability to service larger ships called “Ultras” capable of handling 13,000 TEUs.
Karen Oldfield, CEO of Halifax Port Authority, said: “We are a long, long way from saying 'This is what we are doing' but we are certainly looking at the art of the possible.
“We have told our master planning consultants, 'Let's look at this’ and that is to look for ways to eliminate or minimize truck traffic in the downtown of Halifax.”
The Mega Ship era has seen growth and prosperity for many carriers and ports, but recent reports suggest some smaller ports are suffering from the modernisation; a port in the US that seems to be struggling to keep up with the developments needed to be “Mega-Ship ready” is the Port of Portland.
Earlier in April 2016 PTI reported that the Port of Halifax has received new investments, as well as new services which have both put the port on track despite a decline in the container market, after seeing container volumes rise by 4.6% to 418,359 TEU in 2015.
