Port Saint John posts near 30 per cent jump in container volumes in 2025

Port Saint John says 2025 marked a banner year for container operations following the completion of $247 million in infrastructure investments at its west side container terminal.

The port reported container volumes rose 29.4 per cent between 2024 and 2025, climbing from 184,879 twenty-foot equivalent units to 239,364 TEUs. Compared with 86,949 TEUs in 2021, the port said five-year container throughput has grown 175.2 per cent.

Terminal operator DP World continues to invest in operations and intermodal capacity to handle rising volumes while maintaining service reliability, the port said.

“2025 was a defining year for our container sector,” said Craig Bell Estabrooks, president and CEO of Port Saint John. “The collective efforts of DP World, supply chain and marine partners and waterfront workers make Port Saint John a port of choice for global trade.”

Doug Smith, CEO of DP World in Canada, said the year-over-year gains reflect both operational performance and customer confidence.

“Achieving a nearly 30 per cent increase in volume year over year reflects the strength of our operations and the confidence customers have in this gateway,” said Smith. “We will continue investing in infrastructure, service reliability and workforce capacity to further strengthen Saint John’s role in Canada’s supply chain — ensuring importers and exporters across the country have resilient, competitive access to global markets.”

Port Saint John maintains global connections with major carriers including Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM. Inland distribution is supported by rail links to CPKC, CN and CSX through NB Southern Railway.

The port said it remains focused on sustainable growth and trade diversification to support long-term economic development in New Brunswick and across Canada.