After months of double digit year-over-year declines, Fairview Terminal saw an increase in traffic this August compared to last.
Numbers from the Prince Rupert Port Authority show 51,651 TEUs moved through Prince Rupert this August compared to 47,524 TEUs in 2012, an increase of 8.7 per cent. Imports were up 21.4 per cent to sit at 31,679 TEUs. Exports were down 6.8 per cent, but the number of full containers being shipped out was up 47.8 per cent while the number of containers leaving empty dropped 47.7 per cent.
So far this year, however, the terminal remains below the volume handled through the first eight months of 2012. This year 358,715.5 TEUs have moved through Fairview compared to 368,677.4 TEUs, a drop of 2.7 per cent. Imports are down 3.3 per cent while exports are down 1.9 per cent.
Along with Fairview Terminal, both Prince Rupert Grain and Ridley Terminals saw increased tonnage this August and so far this year.
This August Ridley Terminals moved 1.04 million tonnes of coal compared to 924,497 tonnes last August, an increase of 12.7 per cent. In 2013, RTI has shipped 8.15 million tonnes compared to 7.64 million tonnes, an increase of 6.7 per cent.
Prince Rupert Grain shipped 292,178.8 tonnes compared to 183,425 tonnes last year, an increase of 59.3 per cent. So far this year the terminal has moved 3.41 million tonnes compared to 2.88 million tonnes, an increase of 18.3 per cent.
Logs moving through the harbour this year, though up 25.2 per cent through to the end of August, dropped off drastically last month compared to August, 2012. While 23,695 tonnes of log were exported last year, just 5,440 tonnes moved through the harbour this year, a drop of 77 per cent.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority remains on track for another record-breaking year. Spurred on in-part by a 15.5 per cent year-over-year increase, the terminals of the port authority have moved 15.4 million tonnes in 2013 compared to 14.4 million tonnes last year, an increase of 6.8 per cent.