Understanding Roberts Bank Superport and Its Future

Roberts Bank Superport is a vital transportation hub located near Vancouver, Canada. It's a crucial part of the country's trade and commerce.

The superport is situated on a 2,500-acre site, making it one of the largest in the world. It's accessible by both road and sea, with a deep-water berth that can accommodate massive cargo ships.

Roberts Bank Superport is a major player in the global supply chain, handling over 100 million tonnes of cargo annually. This includes a wide range of products, from grain and coal to vehicles and containers.

Roberts Bank Superport has a rich history that dates back to its construction. It was built at the end of a long causeway over a shallow bank.

Originally, Roberts Bank was created as a 20-acre pod of reclaimed land for a major coal port. Today, it's four times that size.

The port has undergone significant expansions over the years. In 1983-84, it was expanded, and in 1997, a second terminal, the Deltaport container facility, was opened.

Westshore Terminals, operated by the Westar Group, is the busiest single coal export terminal in North America. It typically ships over 20 million tonnes of export coal a year.

In 2010, Deltaport added a third berth and doubled its capacity. This was made possible by a $49-million equipment upgrade.

The port is serviced by three major railways: Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, and BNSF Railway.

The Roberts Bank Superport expansion has faced intense opposition from environmental groups and First Nations groups in Canada and the United States. They're worried that the expansion will lead to the loss of habitat for several animal species.

One of the species that could be impacted is the Orcas, which are already vulnerable in the wild. The Western sandpiper and the barn owl are also at risk.

A 2020 Environmental Impact Report found that the Superport expansion would have numerous adverse effects. This report was taken seriously by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.

He agreed with the report's findings, but still thought the project was justified under the circumstances.

The BC government has given its approval for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, a significant expansion of the existing Roberts Bank superport.

This approval comes with 16 legally enforceable conditions that the port authority must follow, including managing wetlands, vegetation, and wildlife, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050.

A decision not to issue a BC environmental certificate wouldn't have prevented the project from moving forward, as it's almost entirely located within federal lands.

The project will involve significant land reclamation on the west side of the existing container terminal, almost doubling its land area to accommodate three new additional berths.

The new superport will boost Metro Vancouver's overall container handling capacity by an additional 2.4 million TEUs per year, compared to the Centerm container terminal's current capacity of 1.5 million TEUs.

The estimated cost of building Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is over $2 billion, with the project self-funded by the port authority.

The federal government anticipates that 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%.

The project is expected to generate 17,300 full-time jobs once operational and add $3 billion to GDP.