New grain export facility will provide 4 million metric tons of terminal capacity per year for Canada's west coast.

November 26, 2018

3 Min Read
New Fraser grain terminal moving forward

Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. (P&H) announced Nov. 22 that it is moving forward to build and operate Fraser Grain Terminal (FGT), a new export facility in Surrey, B.C., after the project received permit approval from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

"P&H has grown substantially to support Canadian farmers and overseas customer demands. This project demonstrates our unwavering investment in the supply chain to build strong business relationships with customers around the world," P&H vice president of west coast operations Casey McCawley said.

Exports of Canadian grain and specialty crops to growing markets in China and Southeast Asia continue to increase. The new export facility will address two major constraints: limited western Canada rail capacity and a shortage of port industrial land for grain handling. P&H has secured a long-term lease with the port authority for the site.

Once completed, FGT will provide 4 million metric tons of terminal capacity per year, P&H said.

The new terminal will have modern storage facilities, three state-of-the-art shiploaders equipped with dust-reducing technology and a fully enclosed, above-ground conveying system with built-in dust suppression. "The leading design that P&H chose will improve regional efficiency and safety and help reduce dust and noise in the local community," said Randy Roller of FWS, P&H designer and construction contractor.

The project will extend existing rail loading areas and enable high-speed railcar unloading to improve loading efficiency, reduce rail shunting and dramatically improve railcar cycle times between the prairies and metropolitan Vancouver, B.C., the announcement said.

Construction is planned to start in late 2018 and will take approximately two years to complete. Once the new terminal begins operating, the existing smaller facility -- a joint venture with Fraser Surrey Docks -- will convert to handle only pelleted protein products. The existing mobile shiploader will be decommissioned.

Doug MacDonald, vice president senior rail centric supply chain with CN Rail, said, "CN is proud to be a transportation partner in P&H's investment in supply chain rail efficiency, in western Canada and at Fraser Grain Terminal. This will not only benefit P&H's customers but also help us to better serve all our customers."

"Canadian Pacific supports the investment of new, efficient grain unloading capacity in Vancouver," said Joan Hardy, CP vice president sales and marketing, grain and fertilizers. "These advancements fit with our 8,500 ft. high-efficiency product train model and are what the grain supply chain needs as we continue to deliver for farmers, shippers and the broader economy."

"This grain terminal is one of a continuing series of large-scale investments in agriculture across Canada to help link producers to value-added businesses and end-use customers in the most efficient way possible," said John Heimbecker, president of P&H Grain. "With the help of the railways and the port authority, we expect FGT to be one of the most productive terminals in the Pacific Northwest."

P&H is a family-owned Canadian agribusiness with roots in the agriculture industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1909, P&H is growth oriented, diversified and vertically integrated, with operations that include grain trading, handling and merchandising as well as crop inputs, flour milling and feed mills.

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Feedstuffs is the news source for animal agriculture

You May Also Like