Roberts Bank Terminal 2: a generational prosperity-building project
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is a future marine container terminal at the Port of Vancouver. It will increase container trade capacity by more than 30% on Canada’s west coast, enable the trade of $100 billion in goods annually, and add 330 acres of usable waterfront industrial land in one of the most industrial land-constrained regions in North America.
With consent from 27 First Nations—and key environmental approvals already in place—Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is a long-term investment in Canada’s trade future.
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Roberts Bank Terminal 2: a vital investment in strategic infrastructure
Container trade on Canada’s west coast is on a long-term growth trajectory, driven by rising population and GDP. As a result, the Vancouver gateway is growing, and additional container capacity will be needed in the future to handle this increasing trade. Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will help meet this demand, at a strategic Canadian gateway location. It will also enable a fluid, resilient, efficient, and reliable supply chain.
Premier location
- Port of Vancouver is an established and proven gateway for trade, connecting Canada with up to 170 countries across the globe
- Located at the core of western Canada’s largest economic region
- Well positioned geographically relative to competitors on all principal transpacific trade routes (up to two days sailing time advantage from Shanghai compared to competitors in San Pedro Bay port complex)
- Comprehensive, resilient, and cost competitive rail access through three Class 1 railways (CPKC, CN, and BNSF) to all Canadian markets and over 75% of the U.S. population
- Direct access to a robust local network of off-dock container handling, transload, and other trade supporting facilities
Pre-development work has led to support from government, industry, and First Nations
- 27 First Nations have provided consent for the project and signed mutual benefits agreements
- Achievement of federal and provincial environmental assessment approvals, and well progressed on final permitting requirements
- Over 100 expressions of support for the project received from business associations, governments, First Nations, and supply chain and industry partners
- Award winning environmental approach and initiatives, designed in collaboration with First Nations
Robust demand
- Strong historical container trade growth with a compound annual growth rate of 5.0% between 2000 to 2022
- Expected long-term growth trajectory of container trade on Canada’s west coast
- Growing gateway that serves a sizeable and growing market across Western Canada, with the Metro Vancouver region forecasted to grow by ~50% by 2050
- Competitive west coast position with balanced import/export demand (52% imports, 48% exports)
State of the art terminal
- Unique opportunity to develop a greenfield site and deliver a modern marine terminal facility that incorporates operational best practices
- Close to open water shipping channels and with deep water berth access that can accommodate the largest modern container ships
- Programmable marine terminal footprint (~100 hectares), with a berth face up to 1,300 metres long and provision for significant on-dock rail facilities. Additional and exclusive rail support yards incorporated into 35-hectare causeway expansion.
The Port of Vancouver’s competitive advantage
The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port, with excellent connectivity to major industrial centers and rail and road networks. In 2023, the port’s four container terminals handled more than half (52%) of Canada’s offshore container trade and more than half (51%) of the share of international laden container traffic across all Pacific Northwest ports (Prince Rupert, Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland).
To increase trade capacity and efficiency, the public and private sector have invested more than $9 billion in the gateway and regional transportation corridors over the last 15 years (including port terminal projects, road and rail projects, and bridge projects). This is in addition to our work advancing supply chain data transparency initiatives with port stakeholders and key other initiatives.
Project components
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will provide 2.4 million TEUs of container capacity annually and enable state of the art terminal facilities and operations.
Components of the project include:
- New land mass and wharf structure
- Widening the existing Roberts Bank causeway for additional road and rail infrastructure
- Expanding the tug basin to support marine side operations
- Environmental projects, such as new habitat, construction mitigation programs, and a monitoring follow-up program
Project benefits
- Create more capacity to support Canada's long-term container trade growth, which is driven by rising population and GDP
- Enhance resiliency, reliability, and fluidity across Canada’s supply chains
- Support Canadian businesses with cost competitive access to international markets
- Protect Canada’s trade sovereignty and avoid dependence on U.S. ports
- Boost economic growth by creating tens of thousands of jobs and generating billions in Canadian GDP
- Strengthen relationships with First Nations, by supporting economic reconciliation and sharing project benefits
- Support affordability and more reliably available imported goods for Canadians
Anticipated timeline
- 2023 – Project approved by the federal and provincial governments
- 2023 to late 2020s – Obtaining required permits, continuing consultation with First Nations, engaging with communities and stakeholders, assessing market conditions, and preparing for a final investment decision and procurement
- Late 2020s – Construction begins
- Mid 2030s – Terminal operations begin
When we enter procurement, we will be looking for experienced and diverse partners to help deliver this important project. For more information, sign up for procurement updates or email [email protected].
Delivering award-winning, sustainable infrastructure
As a port authority, our purpose is to enable Canada’s trade by being reliable and innovative, while protecting the environment. Roberts Bank Terminal 2 plays a key role in this and will support Canada’s economic, social, and environmental sustainability goals over the coming years.
Comprehensive environmental plan
We take our role as the shared stewards of the Port of Vancouver seriously. Our comprehensive environmental plan for the project is grounded in Indigenous knowledge, western science, and collaboration. It includes:
- Innovative design solutions
- Robust mitigation measures
- Offsetting strategies
- Climate action initiatives
Examples include:
- Creating and restoring 102 hectares of high-value habitat, in collaboration with First Nations, to support priority species like juvenile Chinook salmon and Dungeness crab
- Providing shore power connections to container vessels berthed at the terminal to reduce air quality emissions, climate change-related air emissions, and engine noise
- Protecting southern resident killer whales by implementing a real-time detection program, modifying or stopping construction activities if whales are detected, requiring container vessels and tugs to slow down to reduce underwater noise, and delaying the departure of container vessels when whales are present
- Installing a fish passage at the terminal to allow for the movement of migrating juvenile salmon
In 2023, the project received key environmental approvals from the federal and provincial governments. We are on track to fulfil the legally binding federal and provincial environmental conditions of these approvals. Our annual report describes how we plan to do this.
In 2024, we submitted a permit application to Fisheries and Oceans Canada for a Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act Authorization for the project.
We look forward to continued collaboration with First Nations, governments, agencies, and industry on the conditions of these approvals and permits.
Our approach to evaluating potential effects of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 was awarded the 2024 Environmental Assessment Award from the Environmental Managers Association of B.C.
In designing Roberts Bank Terminal 2, we also leveraged our deep experience building top-tier sustainable infrastructure. This includes the following port authority-led terminal and habitat projects:
- Centerm Expansion Project and South Shore Access Project, which was awarded the 2022 Envision Platinum Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure
- Maplewood Marine Restoration Project, which received an Innovation in Sustainability Award from Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C., a Natural Resource and Habitat Award for Engineering Excellence from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-British Columbia, and the award for remediation and restoration from the Environmental Managers Association of B.C.
Supporting communities
We have been collaborating and consulting with approximately 50 First Nations on the project over the past decade. This has informed an environmentally responsible project that reflects First Nations’ perspectives, interests, priorities, and knowledge.
We have also signed mutual benefits agreements with 27 First Nations. These Nations have provided consent for the project and will share in its benefits. Our work with First Nations also includes:
- Providing funding to support participation in consultation
- Collaborating on employment, procurement, training, and skills development opportunities
- Establishing a $5.5 million Indigenous Legacy Benefit Fund to support communities
To support the local community, we will be providing $6 million to Delta organizations and students through the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 community investment program. This includes providing $500,000 during the pre-construction phase and $5.5 million during the construction phase.
Contributing to Canada’s economic growth over the coming years
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will create generational economic opportunities across the country. This includes tens of thousands of well-paying supply chain jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues, and billions of dollars in Canadian GDP during operation. The terminal will also enable the efficient and reliable trade of $100 billion annually in goods that Canadian consumers and businesses rely on.
