Hamilton port projects move forward

HAMILTON, ON: The Hamilton Port Authority (HPA) has announced  the list of investments outlined in a 2008 strategic plan—which targeted $500 million in infrastructure investments and improvements—is 47-percent complete.

Road, rail, building and security improvements have now been completed, the port said. The latest major project completed was renovations to the 450 Sherman Avenue property. Six tenants operate from the facility, including Hamilton-based hauler and warehousing operator Fluke Transport.

The HPA is focused on cargo diversification, with the intent of doubling the volume of non-steel related commodities moving through the port. New facilities by Parrish and Heimbecker, as well as McAsphalt Industries, are enabling bulk throughput capacity growth, as is the movement of oversized project cargo including Molson Coors fermentation tanks, windmill blades and pressure vessels. The port projects it will surpass the 4 million-tonne mark in non-steel cargo by 2020.

“Development in the past year has created new capacity and elevated the port across the country and internationally, benefiting business across Hamilton and the broader region,” said HPA president and CEO Bruce Wood.

The port said the past year also saw the HPA partner with the City of Hamilton to undertake a major dredging project in the east harbour that saved the city over $4 million. The port’s strategic location and multimodal capability including marine, truck and rail, provide a sustainable system of moving a variety of commodities in the dry, liquid bulk and project cargo sectors, HPA said.