I N D UP SOTRRTYUI PNDS IAGTHE TS
...the Port of Long Beach has $3.2 billion in capital improvements planned over the next 10 years to bring clean energy to port operations...
Port of Nanaimo Donna Hais, Chair of the Port of Nanaimo Board, began by welcoming attendees to the Port. “We’re excited to be hosting this year’s Annual Conference and getting the oppor- tunity to highlight Port operations,” she said. She further noted that she had been a part of the Port’s Board for 10 years, during which time, she has witnessed tremendous growth and change. “When I first joined the board, our port was driven by the lum- ber industry,” she said. “Today, that landscape has completely changed — there’s no lumber, no sawmills. We’ve had to reinvent ourselves.” The Port has since embraced a dual focus: moving people and goods. Passenger transportation has become a defining part of its identity, thanks in large part to the success of Hullo Ferry, a high-speed catamaran service which recently celebrated its second anniversary. The service carried over 400,000 passengers in its first year, surpassing one million during its
second, connecting Central Vancouver Island with the mainland. “Nanaimo now has more BC Ferry terminals than any other community in British Columbia,” Hais said, underscoring Nanaimo’s role as a key transportation gateway for the nearly one million resi- dents of Vancouver Island — roughly 20 percent of B.C.’s population. On the commercial front, the Port has a crucial strategic role in the regional and international sup- ply chain. The Nanaimo Vehicle Processing Centre, developed in part- nership with SSA Marine, has been hugely successful and, in the last few months, the Port has partnered with DP World to undertake a major infra- structure project at Duke Point. While a current expansion project is increas- ing cargo-handling capacity from roughly 24,000 TEUs to 280,000 TEUs, a future growth strategy will allow the Port to expand even further — to 1.2 million TEUs, positioning Nanaimo as a significant player in Pacific trade.
cutting diesel pollution by 90 percent; and addressing on-dock emissions with nearly 21 percent of cargo-hand- ling equipment at the Port now running on zero-emission technology with a goal to have all cargo handling equipment and trucks serving the Port be zero emission. Indeed, more than half a bil- lion dollars is being invested in hydro- gen deployment, rail electrification and terminal upgrades. Weissman noted the achievements of the Port demonstrate “clean air and cargo growth can go hand in hand even as we navigate unprecedented changes in the global shipping industry.” She added the Port has $3.2 billion in cap- ital improvements planned over the next 10 years to bring clean energy to port operations and to expand their reach globally as evidenced by the green shipping corridors established with ports in Shanghai and Singapore that will see decarbonized trade routes. Beyond infrastructure, the Port of Long Beach is investing in the people who will shape its future. The Harbor Commission awarded a rec- ord $350,000 in scholarships this year to local high school and college stu- dents pursuing careers in international trade and logistics. That amount will increase to $400,000 next year as part of the port’s ongoing workforce development commitment.
Donna Hais, Port of Nanaimo reported on the success of the Nanaimo Vehicle Processing Centre in partnership with SSA Marine.
October/November 2025 — PACIFIC PORTS — 15
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