The Port of Halifax is one of the world’s deepest, natural ice-free ports on the eastern seaboard with direct shipping to Europe, the USA and Asia, via the Suez Canal. With the ability to handle the world’s largest container vessels, the Port of Halifax offers many distinct advantages to its customers. It is the first inbound and last outbound port on the North American continent. It is equipped with diverse cargo handling facilities, it is more cost effective and efficient than any other Canadian port of call, and it is a full day closer to Southeast Asia than any other North American east coast port. The Port of Halifax has a stable workforce, and also features connecting air freight and passenger services to national and international destinations.
The Port continues to serve more container lines with more direct calls to Europe, the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, South America, Central America and the Caribbean than any other Canadian gateway port.
Port of Halifax Highlights
- For the seventh consecutive year, over half-a-million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) were shipped through the Port of Halifax in 2005.
- More than 20 direct liner services as well as transshipment and feeder services.
- Approximately 2,000 vessels handled each year
- Destination for cruise ships from all over the world.
- Through the “Smart Port” initiative, The Port of Halifax partners together with the Greater Halifax Partnership and NSBI to capitalize on economic development opportunities.
- Organizations bordering the Port shores include:
- Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot
- National Gypsum (Canada) Limited, dockside facility
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, with a research facility housing over 400 scientists, engineers, technicians, natural resource and environmental managers and support staff
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and the Department of National Defence
- Woodside Atlantic Marine Terminal for offshore industry
- Imperial Oil Refinery
- Shearwater Airbase
- Diving training and explosive ordinates disposal
- Autoport Limited
- Ultramar Canada
The Ideal Location for Business Expansion
Consolidated Fastfrate, a national transportation company with more than 1,500 employees that operates 17 shipping distribution terminals across Canada, chose Halifax as the site for its new facility because of the Port’s competitive advantages as a major shipping and distribution hub for North America. Consolidated Fastfrate's state-of-the-art transload, distribution and warehouse centre will process about 70 marine containers daily. They currently transload approximately 20,000 containers a year in Vancouver, British Columbia, and expect to replicate that service in Halifax, making Fastfrate the only company working the east and west coasts of Canada.
In the eastern region of our province, the Port of Sydney also offers short shipping times to Europe and the Suez Canal. It is a year-round port with regular visits from large cruise ships and Panamax cargo vessels. The Port handles approximately six million tons of cargo – including dry bulk, liquid bulk and general cargo.
The Port of Sydney is currently exploring possibilities for a dredging program, which would allow accessibility to Post Panamax and Cape Size Vessels.
The Port has the advantage of having many harbour facilities, which include the Sydney Marine Terminal, the Atlantic Canada Bulk Terminal (Provincial Energy Ventures) the Sydport Marine Industrial Park, Emera / Logistec (International Coal Pier) and the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal.
Port of Sydney Highlights
- Widespread dockside rail
- Easy access to 100 Series Highways
- The Port of Sydney is outside of Institute Warranty Limits for favourable insurance savings
- It is a safe, sheltered port with excellent anchorages
Facility Highlights
- Marine Atlantic Ferry Operations handle over 400,000 passengers together with 137,000 passenger vehicles and 86,000 commercial vehicles per year
- Logistec (International Piers), presently unload 2 ¼ million tons of coal annually. Originally designed as a coal export terminal, the load-out system consists of a 3,000 MTPH radial shiploader with slewing, shuttling and luffing movements, as well as a rail loop incorporating a rail car unloading trestle coupled to a reclaim system. The Site incorporates a state-of-the-art computerized dust control and monitoring system, which utilizes three real time dust analysers.
- Sydport Industrial Park has 600 acres of land with another 1200 acres available.
- The Atlantic Canada Bulk Terminal (Provincial Energy Ventures) has direct access to 110 acres, with Harbourside Commercial Park Inc., adjacent 3000 acres of land linking directly to the Sydney Airport
- The Sydney Marine Terminal has completed a $10 million development in the building of a world class cruise facility to accommodate and service cruise lines from all over the world. As well, this dock services the operations for petroleum and break bulk cargos.
The Strait of Canso is a 30 kilometer long body of water, open year-round, that separates Cape Breton Island from mainland Nova Scotia. The Strait accommodates a wide variety of cargo, including manufactured goods, petroleum products, pulp, newsprint, supercalendered paper, gypsum, seafood, and break bulk.