Container traffic tonnage at the Canadian port of Saint John doubled in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year – 100% growth for year to date tonnage.
Contributing to the increase is the fact that Mediterranean Shipping Company began calling at Port Saint John in May last year according to a press release issued by the port.
The port has also been working with Tropical Shipping for the past 11 years.
“We are obviously very pleased with these results. The fact that New Brunswick and regional container shippers and receivers can access the world through Port Saint John is a great catalyst for further economic growth,” said Andrew Dixon, senior vice-president of planning and development at Port Saint John.
“We look forward to strong performance for the remainder of this year as well,”
The port recently bought additional buildings sited on 11 acres of land which it says will to help it grow business.
“Our ability to facilitate intermodal trade in an efficient and seamless manner is essential for our customers and stakeholders. This access point is also integral to handling over-sized cargoes such as pre-fabricated modules,” said Jim Quinn, president and chief executive officer.
The port handles more than 30 million tonnes of cargo annually including dry and liquid bulk, break bulk, containers and cruise.
In the current year to date it has handled more than 258,000 container tonnage compared to just over 129,000 last year.