Montreal plans to increase capacity

The Port of Montreal saw a 9.4 percent increase in containerized cargo and a 3.6 percent increase in total volume, which rose to 26 million tons in 2007, said Patrice M. Pelletier, president and chief executive at his agency's annual general meeting Thursday.

All indicators show that marine container traffic on the East Coast of North America will grow annually by 7 percent till 2015. The Port of Montreal is a significant and true generator of wealth for the Canadian economy. To continue to fulfill this role, the port must take the necessary measures to capture a good part of the container market growth, he added.

He outlined major features of a strategic plan, which he said should enable Montreal to gradually augment its capacity.

He believes marine traffic throughout the world is likely to grow and intensify due to market consolidation and growth in transshipments, giving rise to new port terminals using the hub-and-spoke concept common to the airport sector. He also sees the rise of new routes from Asia to North America, via Europe, and the Suez and Panama canals.

American East Coast ports are making significant investments to increase their capacity and shorten transit times to the rich and well-populated U.S. Midwest market. We have to act now to keep and grow our market share. Obviously, this involves investments in new infrastructures so we can position ourselves to receive this new traffic. he said. 

Source: American Shipper