The Port of Vancouver is once again looking for an operator for the proposed Terminal 2 at Roberts Bank.
A statement by the port authority notes it has decided to restart the procurement process for project delivery, including construction and terminal operation, following the public hearing for T2 that wrapped up this summer.
“We began our search for a terminal operator in 2013 when we expected the federal environmental assessment to be completed by 2016. Procurement decisions are informed by market conditions. Since so much time has elapsed, we think it is prudent to re-assess these conditions and re-evaluate procurement options for both construction of the land mass and terminal operations, to be sure we are pursuing the right model for Canada. This fall, we will go out to the infrastructure and terminal operator market to learn more about choosing the best possible delivery model for construction and operation of the terminal,” the port explains.
“Over the past number of years, the port authority has been in negotiations with a potential terminal operator for the project. In view of the delays and resulting decision to initiate a procurement process, we have mutually agreed with the terminal operator to end those negotiations. Our decision is in no way a reflection of the capability of the proponent with whom we have been negotiating or the project’s feasibility,” the port adds.
T2 is a proposed three‐berth container terminal that would provide 2.4 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of additional container capacity annually.
The project is undergoing a federal environmental assessment by an independent review panel under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The panel is to make a recommendation whether to approve the project, which would be constructed on a man-made island adjacent to the existing Deltaport terminal.
Global Container Terminals, the current operator of the three-berth Deltaport container terminal, is not in the running to also operate T2.
Also having made a public hearing presentation to the review panel, GCT is pitching a fourth berth to the existing facility, saying T2 isn’t viable given changes in a number of market factors.
“It is GCT’s view that the long-term sustainability of our gateway is only achievable through careful terminal design that reflects a modern, innovative, and a more sustainable approach to planning and constructing such an expansion,” the submission by GCT stated.
The port authority recently noted it did not block the GCT from submitting a bid to be the T2 operator.
“Our role as a port authority is to ensure that we are providing capacity at a reasonable cost to users. This is echoed in the Canada Marine Act, which states that we are required to, among other things ‘…ensure that marine transportation services are organized to satisfy the needs of users and are available at a reasonable cost to the users’,” the port explained in a statement to the Optimist.
“To be clear, no one was excluded from the bidding process. However, to maintain a healthy and competitive market for users of the Port of Vancouver over the long-term, the port authority established a target that a single operator does not hold more than two-thirds of total capacity in the port. GCT was eligible to bid, provided they demonstrated how they would ensure their market share did not exceed 60 per cent. They chose not to bid.”
In response, a GCT spokesperson countered what is unclear is what VFPA defines as “a reasonable cost to the users.”
The company also notes it’s been suggested that elected officials of the governments of B.C. and Canada need to make decisions and not unelected officials of a port authority.
Noting environmental mitigation studies and consultations with Indigenous groups continues, the port notes if T2 receives approval, it’s expected to be operational by 2029.
