Nanaimo Harbour Overview and Operations

Nanaimo Harbour is a bustling hub of activity, with a rich history dating back to the early 20th century. The harbour is a major commercial shipping point, with cargo vessels coming and going throughout the year.

The harbour is operated by the Nanaimo Port Authority, a non-profit organization responsible for managing the harbour's operations and facilities. This includes maintaining the harbour's navigation channels, ensuring safe passage for vessels.

Nanaimo Harbour is also a popular destination for recreational boaters, with a marina offering slips and amenities for visitors. The harbour's scenic views and mild climate make it an ideal spot for boaters to explore the surrounding islands and coastline.

As you walk along the harbour's waterfront, you'll notice the variety of marine life that calls Nanaimo Harbour home, including seals, sea lions, and a wide range of bird species.

Nanaimo Harbour is situated in a unique location, surrounded by several geographical features. The harbour is contained within the body of water between downtown Nanaimo, Newcastle Island, Protection Island, Gabriola Island, Duke Point, and the Nanaimo River estuary.

The harbour's defined limits run from Horsewell Bluffs at Stephenson Point to Malaspina Point on Gabriola Island. The bay of Nanaimo Harbour itself, often called the Inner Harbour, is a beautiful spot to visit.

Several rivers and creeks flow into Nanaimo Harbour, including the Nanaimo River, Chase River, Millstone River, and Departure Bay Creek. Here's a list of some of the rivers and creeks that flow into the harbour:

Nanaimo's harbour infilling is a fascinating story that has shaped the city's landscape over the years. Coal mine tailings were used to fill in the harbour in and around downtown Nanaimo starting in the late 1800s.

Commercial Inlet, a tidal ravine that divided downtown, was filled in with tailings, and the area is now home to the Nanaimo Port Authority and the Commercial Inlet Basin and Marina. The inlet originally ran from Terminal Avenue to just past Campbell Street.

In 1923, more of the area around the entrance to the inlet was filled in with tailings by the Canadian Western Fuel and Electric Company. This led to the construction of Nanaimo Central Sports Field on the newly filled-in area.

Nanaimo Harbour is a significant body of water that plays a crucial role in the city's geography. It's surrounded by several islands, including Newcastle Island, Protection Island, and Gabriola Island.

The harbour is connected to the Pacific Ocean through the Northumberland Channel, which is situated between Gabriola Island and Duke Point. The channel's limits are marked by Dodd Narrows and False Narrows at Mudge Island.

Several rivers flow into Nanaimo Harbour, including the Nanaimo River, Chase River, Millstone River, and Departure Bay Creek. The Nanaimo River originates in the Vancouver Island Ranges and flows east into the harbour at the Nanaimo River estuary.

Here's a list of the rivers that flow into Nanaimo Harbour:

North Cottle Creek starts on the north side of Cottle Hill at Lost Lake and flows south where it meets Cottle Creek at Cottle Lake.

The Nanaimo Port Authority manages the harbour, waters, and foreshore adjacent to Nanaimo, British Columbia. Located in the Inner Harbour at the Commercial Inlet Basin and Marina in downtown Nanaimo, it was created in 1998 by the Canada Marine Act.

The Port of Nanaimo features two seaports, one downtown Nanaimo called Nanaimo Assembly Wharf and the other at the south-east corner of the harbour at Duke Point. The Nanaimo Assembly Wharf has two deep sea berths, "B" and "C", each 200 metres in length.

The Port of Nanaimo has two main seaports, one with two deep sea berths and the other with one berth, as well as a roll on/roll off (RORO) barge ramp that can handle barges up to 51 m long.

The Nanaimo Port Authority is a crucial player in the region's maritime industry. It was created in 1998 by the Canada Marine Act.

Located in the Inner Harbour at the Commercial Inlet Basin and Marina in downtown Nanaimo, the port authority administers, controls, and manages the harbour, waters, and foreshore adjacent to Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

In 2013, the Nanaimo Port Authority hosted a significant conference, with Canada's Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt, as a keynote speaker.

The Port of Nanaimo features two seaports, one downtown Nanaimo called Nanaimo Assembly Wharf and the other at the south-east corner of the harbour at Duke Point.

The Nanaimo Assembly Wharf has two deep sea berths, "B" and "C", each 200 metres in length.

Nanaimo Harbour is a bustling hub of transportation activity, with multiple options for getting around and getting goods to their destinations. BC Ferries operates three routes from the harbour, including one from downtown Nanaimo to Descando Bay on Gabriola Island.

Several ferry terminals service the harbour, including the Nanaimo Harbour ferry terminal, Duke Point ferry terminal, and Departure Bay ferry terminal. The Nanaimo Harbour ferry terminal has service from downtown Nanaimo to Descando Bay on Gabriola Island, while Duke Point ferry terminal services a route across the Strait of Georgia to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal on the Lower Mainland.

Two main highways service various parts of the port: Highway 19 and Highway 1. Highway 19 services the terminals at Duke Point, including the BC Ferries terminal, while Highway 1 services the downtown terminals and the Departure Bay Ferry terminal.

A seaplane terminal is also located in the harbour, operated by Nanaimo Harbour Water Aerodrome. This terminal offers regularly scheduled routes to the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast, as well as charters to Tofino.

Here are the ferry terminals and their corresponding routes:

Southern Railway of Vancouver Island provides freight rail service to the downtown Nanaimo Assembly Wharf, but not to Duke Point.

The PAVO LEADER, a Vehicles Carrier, was last reported in port at 18:04 on April 23, with a Gross Tonnage (GT) of 57,566 and a Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) of 22,747.

The largest ship in port is the JADE WEALTH, a Bulk Carrier, with a GT of 36,452 and a DWT of 64,301.

The PAVO LEADER measures 200 meters in length and 32 meters in width.

Here are some of the ships currently in port, listed by type:

Ship activity at Nanaimo Harbour is quite frequent. There were 17 ship departures listed in the recent departures from Nanaimo.

Some of the vessels that departed on April 23 include the SPUHEL, a passenger ship built in 2023, and the QUEEN OF COWICHAN, a passenger/ro-ro cargo ship built in 1976. The COASTAL RENAISSANCE, a passenger/ro-ro cargo ship built in 2007, also departed on the same day.

Here is a breakdown of the ship types that departed on April 23:

The expected ships in Nanaimo are the CHARIOTEER and the SANTA SERENA.

The CHARIOTEER, a Bulk Carrier, is expected to arrive on April 24th at 8:00 AM. It was built in 2024 and has a Gross Tonnage (GT) of 25,240 and a Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) of 40,101.

The SANTA SERENA, a General Cargo Ship, is expected to arrive on May 1st at 7:00 PM. It was built in 2011 and has a Gross Tonnage (GT) of 23,691 and a Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) of 38,238.

Here is a brief summary of the expected ships:

Recent ship arrivals in Nanaimo have been quite busy lately. The largest ship to arrive on April 23 was the COASTAL RENAISSANCE, a Passenger/Ro-Ro Cargo Ship measuring 160 meters in length.

The COASTAL RENAISSANCE was built in 2007 and has a gross tonnage of 21,777. It's not the only large ship to arrive in Nanaimo, though - the SEASPAN TRADERRo-Ro Cargo Ship also arrived on April 23, measuring 149 meters in length and built in 2021.

Here's a list of the top 5 largest ships to arrive in Nanaimo on April 23:

The youngest ship to arrive in Nanaimo on April 23 was the SPUHELSPassenger Ship, which was built in 2023.

I've been tracking ship activity in Nanaimo, and it's fascinating to see the variety of vessels departing from the port. Recent ship departures from Nanaimo include the SPUHELSPassenger Ship, which departed on April 23 at 11:03 LT.

The largest ship to depart recently was the COASTAL RENAISSANCE, a Passenger/Ro-Ro Cargo Ship that left at 10:27 LT. This ship measures 160 x 29 meters in size.

Here's a list of recent ship departures from Nanaimo, including the vessel type and departure time:

Some of the ships that departed recently were quite old, such as the QUEEN OF COWICHAN, which was built in 1976.