Port of Montreal earmarks $335 million for sustainable development

The Port of Montreal has earmarked $335+ million in its new five-year investment plan for its infrastructure on the Island of Montreal. 

The announcement was made by Martin Imbleau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) yesterday during a speech at the Transport and Logistics Forum organized by the Chambre de commerce de l’Est de Montréal (CCEM).

During his speech on a strong and decarbonized supply chain originating in the east end, MPA President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Imbleau outlined the Port of Montreal’s role and scope in the city’s east end from a long-term perspective. Now that the Port of Montreal is approaching its full container handling capacity, it wants to invest heavily in its infrastructure on the island, which stretches 26 km between Cité-du-Havre and the east end of the island.

These investments are geared to achieve four main objectives.

• Sustainably develop and maintain port infrastructure to accommodate trade growth for the benefit of exporting and importing companies and, in turn, consumers.
• Strengthen, optimize and streamline the Greater Montreal supply chain in a context where the country’s supply chains have been weakened over the past two years by such wide-ranging factors as the labour shortage, inflation and issues with procurement and storage. The Port of Montreal intends to play a strategic role in further strengthening supply chain resilience and performance.
• Accelerate the decarbonization of port activities and the energy transition. To this end, the MPA has already implemented major initiatives, including the installation of shore power for wintering ships and cruise ships and the electrification of its fleet of service vehicles. Future plans include larger-scale rollouts of electric power systems and developing green fuels.
• Improve the city-port interface. In the wake of recent projects to improve the city-port interface, such as creating a landscaped embankment 8.5 metres tall on Notre-Dame to minimize any visual and noise impacts of port activities, and planting 2,000 trees, the Port of Montreal aims to invest $10 million in projects to improve the way logistics activities coexist with the urban environment.

Key projects planned for the next five years in Montreal include: optimizing substations, which will make it possible for the Port to meet the growing demand for electrical energy; optimizing rail capacity by adding six km of track, which will improve the fluidity of rail traffic and storage; and wharf modernization to safely accommodate vessels.

Moreover, the Port of Montreal will, with its private partner and government support at every level, invest in port expansion in Contrecœur to ensure sufficient infrastructure for importers and exporters throughout Quebec.

“We want to invest in the future of the supply chain from the east end of Montreal for its sustainability, efficiency and harmonious integration into the urban fabric. Our biggest challenge will be decarbonizing our economy and the supply chain. Transportation is the largest emitter of GHGs in Quebec, and the stats aren’t getting any better! Our responsibility as a player in this industry is indispensable. The east end of Montreal offers great opportunities. It was the cradle of port activities. It can and must support supply-chain decarbonization,” said Imbleau.

In May last year, the port welcomed new, fuel-efficient vessels, in line with the port’s goal of reducing its carbon footprint.

Meanwhile, MPA also joined the United Nations Global Compact, a global initiative focused on developing, implementing and promoting good corporate sustainability practices.