Truck Gates at Container Terminals to Open Longer Hours

Vancouver, B.C. - The Vancouver Port Authority, P&O Ports Canada and TSI Terminal Systems Inc. are announcing plans to implement extended hours of operations at container terminal truck gates in the Port of Vancouver, beginning in January 2006.

The program is intended to increase truck gate operations at Vanterm, Centerm and Deltaport by an average of 20 per cent, per year, over the next five years.

"Extending gate hours will not only increase capacity, it will help alleviate congestion at the terminals, which will also speed up transaction times," said Captain Gordon Houston, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Port Authority. For this initiative to be successful the port will have to work closely with all stakeholders, including local municipalities and the provincial government. "Extended hours of operations will also make more efficient use of the regions road networks, by spreading truck traffic over a longer period, reducing congestion during traditional peak times, while also reducing emissions," said Houston.

The recent 'Task Force Report on Transportation and Industrial Relations in the Ports of Vancouver' identified congestion at truck gates as a significant concern shared by the ports, terminal operators, truckers, trucking companies and shippers. The report stated: "The implementation of regular extended truck gate hours at container terminals has emerged as the single most effective method for reducing delays for trucks accessing the terminals."

In addition to extended gate hours, the port has also implemented a system to monitor waiting times for trucks outside of the terminals' gates. The data collected from this monitoring system will assist the port as it evaluates the effectiveness of extended gates and other operational initiatives.

"These programs are the first step in a broader initiative to increase the hours of operation throughout the lower mainland ports, including at off-site terminals. The extended gates program and other supply chain initiatives will improve the performance, efficiency and reliability of container movements in the port," said Houston.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest and most diversified port, trading $43 billion in goods with more than 90 trading economies annually. Port activities generate 69,200 jobs in total with $4 billion in Gross Domestic Product and $8.9 billion in economic output.

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For more information, please contact:

Anne McMullin,
Director, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Vancouver Port Authority
(604) 665-9069 (office)
(604) 665-9073 (fax)
(778) 231-6978 (cellular)
anne.mcmullin@portvancouver.com

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