The biggest challenge ahead for the Pacific Gateway will be staying ahead of the competition, federal Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway Stockwell Day told Business in Vancouver in a recent interview.
“We have to send that signal out that we are on the leading edge,” he said, noting that the Gateway will face “on-going competition as other countries industrialize and as they become capable and their populations become capable of manufacturing and supplying.”
As an example, Day pointed to plans to double the Panama Canal’s capacity by 2014.
“Their project called Panamax will be able to handle super container ships, which previously were too wide for the Panama Canal,” he said. “So as options continue to increase for people who are shipping, it’s important that we stay on the edge.”
Day commented that B.C.’s ports do, however, have a geographic advantage.
“We have a shipping advantage in itself,” he said. “For instance Shanghai to Prince Rupert is about 1,100 nautical miles closer for people shipping out of Shanghai than any other port on the West Coast.”
On top of that, he said, dwell times – the length of time a container sits in a port – are less than 24 hours at both Port Metro Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert. That, plus the integration of road and rail into major U.S. markets adds to B.C.’s advantages.
“Our producers can go to major shippers and say, if you’re shipping to the Port of Vancouver or Port Prince Rupert, we can offer you a three to five day shipping advantage in terms of velocity and getting your goods to the market,” he said. “So messages like that, the efficiencies of our operation, the ongoing commitment – all are going to be necessary because other ports around the world are also developing, and we need to stay right on the leading edge.”