As 2022 draws to a close, the president and CEO of Port Saint John says it’s been a record year.
Craig Estabrooks told Global News that in 2021, the port moved 87,000 TEUs — 20-foot equivalent units — transporting everything from food, to lumber, to electronics.
In 2022, that number was closer to 150,000.
He said this growth is “remarkable” as the port is still in the midst of its $205 million modernization project.
“For us to be experiencing this growth while continuing to build and modernize our infrastructure has been challenging, but it’s been a welcome challenge for our team,” he said.
“Our lead engineer’s got a great saying – it’s like we’re living in the house while building it.”
The project would see the port’s capacity grow to 800,000 container spaces by the end of 2024.
In May, the province announced an additional investment of about $42 million – $16.8 million from the province, $21 million from the federal government and $4.2 million from Port Saint John.
This investment will help increase the cargo laydown capacity of the west-side terminal, add roll-on and roll-off capabilities for wheeled cargo, and add two more cranes, which Estabrooks said will go “a long way” in creating capacity.
Estabrooks said the increased capacity will mean more jobs in the region and the port is already expanding its workforce.
“It’s incredible for our economy when the high wages that are paid related to marine port jobs are starting to be realized in Saint John,” he said.
“I think Saint Johners are feeling that and people in greater Saint John understand how important that employment is to our region.”
He said COVID-19 demonstrated the importance of having a supply chain that ensures goods are getting to market efficiently.
He attributed 2022’s growth to both the capacity increase from the modernization project, as well as its rail line partnerships with the Canadian Pacific Railway, CN Rail and CSX.
Estabrooks said the port is expecting continued growth in the years to come.
“There will be ups and downs,” he acknowledged.
“2023 could be a rocky year from a recessionary standpoint … so it’s hard to say whether it’s going to continue in a full straight line up, but we do view the long-term trend as being very strong.”
— With files from Zack Power