MONTREAL, Oct. 22, 2024 /CNW/ - The port authorities of Montreal, Quebec City and Trois-Rivières are pleased to announce the broadening of their cooperation agreement, initiated in 2022, to jointly strengthen the St. Lawrence corridor. As of October 22, on Quebec Marine Day, the port authorities of Saguenay and Sept-Îles are uniting in the cooperation dynamics through the signing a new, expanded cooperation agreement. 

Integrating the ports of Saguenay and Sept-Îles marks a decisive move to create an extended marine corridor along the Saguenay and St. Lawrence rivers, consolidating their shared goal of increasing performance, resilience and efficiency. This partnership highlights the vital role that ports play to keep international and interprovincial trade competitive.

The partners in this agreement will meet regularly to align their strategies and optimize operations. Areas of focus will include environmental innovation, supply chain optimization, managing the impacts of climate change, as well as communications and community relations. This agreement, based on collaborative governance, confirms the ports' commitment to work together for the economic benefit of their regions, the province of Quebec and Canada.

Quotes

"This expanded agreement furthers our efforts to create a more competitive and integrated marine corridor. We are thrilled to welcome Saguenay and Sept-Îles, and by doing so, reinforcing our shared vision of a robust and proactive port network," said Julie Gascon, Mario Girard and Gaétan Boivin, respectively President and CEO of the port authorities of Montreal, Québec and Trois-Rivières.

"The ports of the Saguenay—St. Lawrence Marine Corridor are essential to the smooth functioning of the North American economy and supply chains. They share common interests, situations and challenges. Increased cooperation and exchanges between our port authorities will enhance current practices, particularly in terms of sustainable development, drive innovation and make shipping even more efficient." — Carl Laberge, President and CEO of the Port of Saguenay and Pierre D. Gagnon, President and CEO of the Port of Sept-Îles.

About the Port of Montreal

Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montreal is the largest container port in Eastern Canada and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods: containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. The only container port in Quebec, it is a destination port served by the largest shipping lines in the world. It is also an intermodal hub with a service offering that is unique in North America, featuring its own rail network directly dockside connected to Canada's two national rail networks. The MPA also operates a Cruise Terminal and a Port Centre.

The MPA factors economic, social and environmental components into its corporate initiatives. This commitment is governed by a sustainable development policy whose guiding principles focus on involvement, cooperation and accountability. Port activity in Canada supports some 590,000 jobs and generates $93.5 billion in economic activity.

About the Port of Quebec

Among the five largest ports in Canada in terms of tonnage handled and economic benefits, the Port of Québec is strategically located to serve the heart of North America. It is the only port that has both deep-water requirements and complete intermodality. Thus, it is able to receive cargo without constraint from or destined to some fifty countries in order to connect the Quebec, Great Lakes and American Midwest markets to the rest of the world.

About the Port of Trois-Rivières

As part of the 17 Canadian Port Authorities and active since 1882, the Port of Trois-Rivières provides a wide range of facilities and services to the marine industry, year-round. It is an important player in regional, national and international economic development for major industrial sectors such as the aluminum industry, forestry and agri-food. The respect of the highest environmental standards and harmony with the community are essential for the Port of Trois-Rivières. Every year, the Port of Trois-Rivières welcomes some 60,000 trucks, 11,000 railcars and 270 merchant and cruise ships from some 100 ports in over 40 countries around the world. It handles 4.2 million metric tons of traffic, is responsible for nearly $220 million in economic spin-offs, and generates over 2,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.

About the Port of Saguenay

A strategic intermodal hub and one of Canada's 17 port authorities, the Port of Saguenay is a year-round deepwater port with direct access to the North American rail and highway networks. It is renowned for its operational efficiency and high capacity for receiving and shipping dry and liquid bulk goods. The Port of Saguenay is one of Eastern Canada's most important shipping terminals for forest biomass to Europe. It is also responsible for international cruise ship operations in Saguenay, the largest port of call on the Saguenay-St. Lawrence axis in terms of ships and passengers received each year. The Port of Saguenay boasts one of the largest industrial port sites in Canada, with nearly 12 square kilometers of land dedicated to large-scale industry adjacent to its marine terminal, developed with a vision focused on the responsible and sustainable growth of its activities.

About the Port of Sept-Îles

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America's largest ore-handling port, with a projected volume for 2024 of more than 40 million metric tons. It is also recognized as the largest primary aluminum port terminal in the Americas in terms of operational volume. The facilities at the Port of Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. The Port is also deeply committed to sustainable development and has pioneered the first environmental observatory on the St. Lawrence to monitor the marine ecosystem as well as a research chair with Université Laval to study coastal ecosystems and port operations.

SOURCE Port of Montreal