Troyes-Rivieres must refuse ships

A sign of the strength of the economic recovery, the port of Trois-Rivieres has been forced to turn down customers since the beginning of the year.

At least five ships were diverted to other ports because there was not enough storage space to accommodate them. Altogether, they carried 100,000 tons of general cargo.

“We don’t like a ship’s rejection,” said the chief executive of the Port of Trois-Rivieres, Gaetan Boivin. At worst, things will go elsewhere, but not necessarily in Quebec or in Canada, but maybe abroad.”

Port activity in Trois-Rivieres will not weaken, if not at all, in the worst of the pandemic. “In the port of Trois-Rivieres, we have not experienced this period of economic slowdown,” said Mr. Boivin.

Despite the significant addition of storage space in recent years, the port continues to flirt with its capacity limits. However, the problem will be resolved around 2025 with the extension of the piers to a length of 700 meters on the western side.

The load handled can be increased by 50%. On Monday, Quebec also announced financial support for this project amounting to $22.5 million. This is a global project worth over $130 million. Ottawa has already provided $33 million in assistance.

“Thanks to the construction of Terminal 21, the port will be better equipped to respond to this growth,” said Chantal Rouleau, Minister of Transport.