About the project

About the project

Led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is a future marine container terminal in Delta, British Columbia, which will deliver critical capacity and supply chain resilience to support Canada’s growing trade. The project is a three-berth marine container terminal on new federally owned land, located in subtidal waters to minimize environmental effects to intertidal habitats.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will be key to supporting Canada’s economic growth over the coming years. Canada’s Pacific Gateway is Canada’s most important trade corridor, and container trade is one sector that remains on a long-term growth trajectory. Consumers and businesses rely on container trade to move goods through the port and beyond – both to access affordable household goods found in local stores, and for Canadian exports such as grain and forest products.

The terminal will increase container terminal capacity by more than 30% on Canada’s west coast. This will strengthen reliable access to goods Canadians use every day and play a key role in supporting Canadian exporters, who increasingly want to trade with countries around the world.

It has been designed under our public-interest federal mandate, building on our deep experience leading sustainable infrastructure projects. Strong collaboration with First Nations has been key in designing comprehensive environmental mitigation and habitat offsetting.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is vital for meeting Canada’s trade needs

Forecasts show that without new terminal space, the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert will likely be unable to handle growth in container trade in the future. This could lead to a capacity crunch that would constrain Canadian trade and lead to Canadian imports being diverted to U.S. ports, resulting in transportation costs passed on to Canadians, and lost opportunities in local communities for new jobs and economic benefits.

Project components

• Construction of new land and a wharf that will accommodate a new marine container terminal
• A widened Roberts Bank causeway for additional road and rail infrastructure to link existing road and rail networks to the marine terminal
• An expanded tug basin for additional tugs
• Environmental projects, such as habitat offsetting, construction mitigation programs, and a monitoring follow-up program

Project status

The Government of Canada and Government of B.C. approved Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in 2023, after a rigorous federal and provincial environmental assessment process.

With these milestones reached, there are still more steps before construction can begin. This includes obtaining a Fisheries Act Authorization, ongoing consultation and collaboration with First Nations, engagement with local communities, continued market condition assessment, procurement, and preparation for a final investment decision.

We expect construction to begin in the late 2020s, with completion in the mid-2030s.

Procurement

When we enter procurement in the next few years, we will be looking for experienced and diverse partners to help build and deliver this important trade-enabling infrastructure project. We continue to monitor market conditions and incorporate market feedback throughout all phases of planning and design. Please sign up for procurement updates to get the latest information.

Quick facts

	Economic During construction, the project will: Provide 18,050 (including 6,525 direct) person-years of employment worth $1.6 billion in labour income Generate $2.3 billion in GDP Add $519 million in tax revenue to all levels of government During operation, the terminal will: Create 17,300 jobs every year (1,500 on-terminal and 15,800 off-terminal) worth $1.7 billion in labour income Increase the Port of Vancouver’s container terminal capacity by nearly 50% and increase Canada’s west coast container capacity by 30%, with a throughput capacity of up to 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) containers annually Generate $3 billion in GDP Add $631 million in tax revenues to all levels of government Move $100 billion in trade
	Community Mutual benefits agreements have been signed with 26 First Nations who have consented to the project. These agreements ensure that benefits and opportunities of the project are shared. The community investment program will provide $500,000 in the years leading up to construction, and $5.5 million after construction begins, to Delta organizations and students The port authority has received more than 100 expressions of support for the project from 60 different organizations representing over 500,000 businesses
	Environment 94 hectares of habitat (equivalent to 620 hockey rinks) of restored and enhanced fish habitat credits and offsetting projects is being developed in consultation and collaboration with First Nations, to support priority species We are contributing $30 million to support prey abundance initiatives and the recovery of Chinook salmon, a key food source for southern resident killer whales More than 100 technical, environmental, and engineering studies and reports have been completed, with more than 59,000 hours of field work, to inform the development of environmental programs protecting key species and habitat