BC government approves new superport for Metro Vancouver

Artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

Last week, the provincial government provided Vancouver Fraser Port Authority with its environment assessment approval for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project.

This is a significant expansion of the existing Roberts Bank superport just off Delta — near BC Ferries’ Tsawwassen terminal in the Strait of Georgia.

BC’s environmental assessment certificate comes with 16 legally enforceable conditions that must be followed by the port authority, relating to the management of wetlands, vegetation, and wildlife, as well as a construction impact management plan, and a greenhouse-gas reduction plan for emissions, including net-zero by 2050.

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This builds on the federal government’s approval in April 2023, which provided 370 legally binding conditions to protect the environment.

It is noted by the provincial government that a decision not to issue a BC environmental certificate could not prevent the project from going forward. The project is almost entirely located within federal lands.

There will be a significant land reclamation on the west side of the existing container terminal — almost doubling its land area — to accommodate three new additional berths.

The long causeway jutting out of the mainland will be widened to accommodate additional road and freight railway capacity, and the tug basin will be expanded to provide a second tug operations contractor.

The amount of new land created will amount to about 450 acres — equivalent to roughly half the size of Stanley Park.

Artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Port of Vancouver

Artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

The new superport capacity provided by Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will boost Metro Vancouver’s overall container handling capacity by an additional 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year. In contrast, the Centerm container terminal immediately north of the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver currently has a capacity for 1.5 million TEUs — up from 900,000 TEUs prior to the full completion of its expansion earlier in 2023.

The superport classification of this facility generally means the location is in a deep water area, and is capable of accommodating very large vessels.

The estimated cost of building Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is over $2 billion, with the project self-funded by the port authority. It could reach completion in the 2030s, based on a construction timeline of about six years.

The federal government anticipates Canada’s major West Coast ports will reach maximum capacity within years without the expansion, which will increase BC’s container terminal capacity by about 33%, generate 17,300 full-time jobs once operational, and add $3 billion to GDP.

The project could reach completion in the 2030s, based on a construction timeline of about six years. But before construction can start, the next steps entail gaining other approvals and permits, consulting with First Nations, assessing market conditions, undertaking procurement for contractors, and preparing for a final investment decision.

Artistic rendering of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

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