Montréal, Québec and Trois-Rivières to strengthen the St. Lawrence corridor

The ports of Montréal, Québec and Trois-Rivières look to jointly strengthen the St. Lawrence corridor

The Port Authorities of Montréal, Québec and Trois-Rivières have announced the creation of a working group to identify and facilitate the implementation of joint initiatives. The signing of a collaboration agreement between these three ports on the St. Lawrence River is motivated by strategic, environmental, and economic factors. The three ports combined annually handle approximately 72.4 million tonnes of general cargo, containers, noncontainerized general cargo, and solid and liquid bulk. The St. Lawrence is the entry and exit route for a multitude of goods, food and materials traded with the rest of the world.

A FAVOURABLE CONTEXT “Global supply chains are being restructured. Shipping lines and import-export stakeholders are looking for the best routes at the best cost and want to accelerate the decarbonization of maritime transport. There are opportunities for our ports and for our economy,” said Martin Imbleau, President and CEO of the Montréal Port Authority.

“More than 80% of trade worldwide is done by ship and the St. Lawrence/Great Lakes axis is Canada’s most important trade corridor. Our infrastructures are vital to our economy, with major importance along the St. Lawrence, but of minor importance when it comes to global supply chains. With this new relationship, we want to develop some of the most sustainable and eco-responsible logistics and supply chains globally and interprovincially,” says Mario Girard, President and CEO of the Quebec Port Authority.

From west to east over 250km of waterway, the ports of Montréal, TroisRivières and Québec have a lot in common. They are jointly responsible for the safe operation of traffic on one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. They serve intersecting economic and social ecosystems; they rely on complementary intermodal platforms and often have the same maritime partners. “What facilitates collaboration is our complementarity. The ports of Montréal, Québec and TroisRivières each have their own expertise and specific roles in the supply chain. Increasing our collaboration will create synergies that will benefit the customers we serve and the communities in which we operate,” says Gaétan Boivin, President and CEO of the Trois-Rivières Port Authority.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM NOW UNTIL THE YEAR’S END The working group will explore different avenues of collaboration that could improve the competitiveness of the St. Lawrence corridor, such as the connection between the ports and the freight and train transport networks, the exchange of expertise, or the compatibility of technological systems. Since the Government of Canada has announced its intention to modernize the Canada Marine Act, the act that governs the canadian Port Authorities’ operations, the working group’s conclusions could also be used to inform the work of Transport Canada.

ABOUT THE PORT OF MONTRÉAL Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montréal is the second-largest port in Canada and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of cargo. The only container port in Quebec, it is a destination port served by the largest shipping lines in the world. The MPA integrates the economic, social and environmental aspects into its business approaches. This commitment is supported by a sustainable development policy, whose guiding principles are involvement, cooperation and transparency.

ABOUT THE PORT OF QUÉBEC 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 deepwater 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 Active since 1882, the Port of Trois-Rivières is an important player in regional, national and international economic development for major industrial sectors such as the aluminum industry, forestry and agri-food. Annually, the Port of Trois-Rivières welcomes merchant and cruise ships originating from over 100 different ports in more than 40 countries around the world.

Port of Québec. Port of Montréal.

Port of Trois-Rivières.

AD Ports Group and Alexander Global Logistics GmbH sign agreement to establish a world-class pulp and paper products hub in Abu Dhabi

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT TO OPERATE FROM THE GROUP’S FLAGSHIP KHALIFA PORT Striving to transform Abu Dhabi into a leading hub for the development and distribution of pulp and paper products across the Middle East, AD Ports Group has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Alexander Global Logistics GmbH.

As per the agreement, the two parties will work closely to establish and launch a transshipment hub dedicated to handling pulp and paper products, which will operate from Khalifa Port, AD Ports Group’s flagship port and a vital link connecting East and West trade.

Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO of Ports Cluster, AD Ports Group, said: “Today’s announcement marks a key milestone in Khalifa Port’s ongoing development to support the UAE’s industrialization efforts, and is also the first step in what we see as Abu Dhabi’s transformation into a regional leader for pulp and paper products.

“Leveraging our long-standing expertise as the emirate’s leading facilitator of trade, logistics, and industry, as well as Abu Dhabi’s central location linking global trade and its multi-modal connectivity solutions over air, sea, land, and future rail, our new joint venture with Alexander Global Logistics GmbH will meet the evolving needs of this fast-growing industry.

“The hub aims to address the changing needs of the global supply chain, both for pulp and paper producers and customers. In the first stage, expected to be completed by Q3 2022, a total of 20,000m2 of quayside warehousing will be established in Khalifa Port. From there, all kinds of forestry products will be distributed into the Gulf region and beyond.”

Carsten Hellmers, CEO of Alexander Global Logistics GmbH, said: “We are very excited about this project, as we have the strongest belief that the combination of expertise and knowledge of the industry brought into this Strategic Partnership Agreement by Alexander Global Logistics plus the unique location, abilities and resources provided by AD Ports Group will soon allow the Pulp and Paper industry to have a world-class terminal to serve customers in the Abu Dhabi hinterland and reach other destinations taking full advantage of the hub.”

The announcement of the new Strategic Partner Agreement in collaboration with Alexander Global Logistics GmbH marks the latest in a series of developments at Khalifa Port aimed at expanding the deep water port’s capabilities to support a wide variety of industries.

In 2021, AD Ports Group signed a 50year land lease agreement with Anchorage Investment that will see the development of a grain storage and processing plant at Khalifa Port that will be overseen by agro commodity processor National Feed.

Last year also saw the signing of a 35year concession agreement between AD Ports Group and CMA CGM Group, one of the world’s leading providers of shipping and logistics solutions.

As per the agreement, the two parties will work closely together to launch a new AED570 million (US$154 million) terminal in Khalifa Port that will be operated by a new joint venture owned by CMA CGM (70% stake) and AD Ports Group (30%).

Elsewhere in the port, progress is already underway with the development of Abu Dhabi’s first greenfield commercial bulk liquid storage terminal that is being built as part of a strategic agreement signed with Saudi Arabia-based Arabian Chemical Terminals (ACT) back in 2020.

ABOUT AD PORTS GROUP Established in 2006, AD Ports Group today serves as a major regional facilitator of logistics, industry, and trade, as well as a bridge linking Abu Dhabi to the world. Listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, AD Ports Group’s vertically integrated business approach has proven instrumental in driving the emirate’s economic development over the past decade.

Operating several clusters covering ports, economic cities & free zones, maritime, logistics, and digital, AD Ports Group’s portfolio comprises ten ports and terminals, and more than 550km2 of economic zones within KIZAD and ZonesCorp, the largest integrated trade, logistics, and industrial business grouping in the Middle East.

AD Ports Group is rated A+ by S&P and A+’ Affirmed – Outlook Stable by Fitch.

Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO of Ports Cluster, AD Ports Group (right); and Carsten Hellmers, CEO of Alexander Global Logistics GmbH signing the strategic partnership agreement to Establish a World-Class Pulp and Paper Products Hub in Abu Dhabi.

we all can keep growing.”

The new infrastructure improvements will increase maritime commerce through domestic barge service. Combined with the two new Ohio River interstate bridges and new heavy haul transportation corridor leading into the port, the region can further attract new cargoes and largescale industrial projects that require million tonnes, up 21.6% compared to 2020. This is the highest annual shipment total since it began operation in 1985. (The second-highest year was in 2015.)

ABOUT THE TIGER PROGRAMME The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER Discretionary Grant programme, allows

multimodal transportation connections.

“The completion of the TIGER project is the result of the commitment that the Ports of Indiana has to best-in-class infrastructure and making our Indiana network bigger, better, faster,” said Vanta E. Coda II, Ports of Indiana chief executive officer. “This infrastructure will allow our current and future customers to grow for the next 50 years.”

Indiana’s three ports contribute more than $8.2 billion per year to the state economy and support 50,000 Hoosier jobs. Jeffersonville alone contributes $1.8 billion yearly in economic impact and supports 12,137 jobs.

The Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville set a shipping record in 2021, handling 3.22

Aerial view looking south above the new three-acre transload facility. Waterfront intermodal facility that more than doubles the capacity of bulk commodities transferred from rail cars or trucks to barges.

the U.S. Department of Transportation to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects. Applicants compete for funds and must detail the benefits their project would deliver for five long-term outcomes including safety, economic competitiveness, state of good repair, quality of life and environmental sustainability.

Steel coils being unloaded.

ABOUT THE PORTS OF INDIANA-

JEFFERSONVILLE Opened in 1985, the Ports of IndianaJeffersonville handles Ohio River shipments of steel, agriculture and industrial cargoes, and provides more than 1,000 acres of industrial sites for multimodal businesses. The port is operated by the Ports of Indiana, a statewide port authority managing three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan. Established in 1961, the Ports of Indiana is a self-funded enterprise dedicated to growing Indiana’s economy by developing and maintaining a world-class port system. DCi