VANCOUVER, B.C. — The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office has approved the development of the Vancouver Port Authority’s (VPA) Deltaport Third Berth Project.

The Third Berth Project is part of the port authority’s initiative to expand container handling facilities at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C.

The project, received a provincial environmental assessment certificate following a harmonized review, which was conducted with the federal review agencies, DFO and EC and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The project still requires federal approvals to proceed and the federal review is still underway.

“We are pleased to have received provincial approval on the project, and hope to receive a decision from the federal Minister of Environment in the near future,” said Captain Gordon Houston, president and CEO of the VPA. “The VPA has worked collaboratively on this project with the provincial and federal governments, First Nations and the local community for over two years to ensure an environmentally sustainable project which will facilitate the growth of Canadian international trade.”

The harmonized review included consultation with the public, the relevant agencies and First Nations; and concluded that the project adequately addresses potential impacts with the implementation of a number of key environmental commitments on the part of the VPA. Totaling more than 150, these commitments include a Habitat Compensation Program, Adaptive Management Strategy, and Construction Environmental Management Plan.

The Deltaport Third Berth Project is part of a broader VPA initiative to expand container terminal capacity at the Port of Vancouver, and capture the significant increases in container volumes predicted during the next 20 years.

The growth of container traffic on the west coast of North America is due to the rapid expansion of overseas trade with Pacific Rim nations, as well as the growth in containerization of a larger range of products.

The Port of Vancouver trades more than $43 billion in goods with more than 90 trading economies annually.