[Saint John] Port Development

[cdnguys]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

From the Port on insta:

The white on the fundy quay building really pops

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

This picture is a fine example for why the Port should never paint the light blue cranes the same dark blue as the other cranes. Does anyone know if they still plan to paint them dark blue, or have the light blue cranes already become too iconic to change?

[cdnguys]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

This picture is a fine example for why the Port should never paint the light blue cranes the same dark blue as the other cranes. Does anyone know if they still plan to paint them dark blue, or have the light blue cranes already become too iconic to change?

Fun fact - these were Maersk cranes, that’s why they are the same colour. Maybe the port doesn’t want company specific colours when they service several lines. Maybe they also want consistency in colour. Not sure

[FromMaine]

A 2026 built 8200 TEU ship will come into rotation in a few weeks, the Santorini Express!

[cdnguys]

Originally Posted by FromMaine

A 2026 built 8200 TEU ship will come into rotation in a few weeks, the Santorini Express!

Is it designed differently, because it’s not particularly long?

[cdnguys]

The Santorini Express coming to Saint John - largest TEU ship to come to port, has over 1200 reefers and it’s believed to be put on this route to support Americold.

[bingun]

I've heard that Atlantic Towing will be purchasing two new tug boats for the Port of Saint John to replace smaller, aging tugs. This will better support the port for larger vessels and follows in the footsteps of the Port of Halifax, which received two new tugs in 2024.

The tug base is still over by Americold; I haven't heard if they still plan to move them to Courtney Bay or if that is no longer the plan.

[cdnguys]

Port of Halifax released 2026 Q2 stats TEUs compared to 2025

Imports down -(16.7%)
Exports down -(12.9%)

YTD all container traffic down -(15.8%)

Port of Saint John doesn’t release quarterly statistics, so not sure how we are doing. Port of Halifax is down approx 30% from its highs reached a few years ago.

[bingun]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

Port of Halifax released 2026 Q2 stats TEUs compared to 2025

Imports down -(16.7%)
Exports down -(12.9%)

YTD all container traffic down -(15.8%)

Port of Saint John doesn’t release quarterly statistics, so not sure how we are doing. Port of Halifax is down approx 30% from its highs reached a few years ago.

Those are some rough numbers. I am surprised there hasn't been more news coverage about this, or maybe there is and I just don't see it.

I am well aware of the benefits of Saint John's rail network, but is there something else driving such a steep decline? Is Saint John's growth at Halifax's expense, or is that volume going elsewhere to Quebec or down to the US?

[nwalbert]

Originally Posted by bingun

Those are some rough numbers. I am surprised there hasn't been more news coverage about this, or maybe there is and I just don't see it.

I am well aware of the benefits of Saint John's rail network, but is there something else driving such a steep decline? Is Saint John's growth at Halifax's expense, or is that volume going elsewhere to Quebec or down to the US?

I believe that some of Port SJ growth is at the expense of Halifax, but not all. Hopefully Port SJ continues to grow despite Halifax's downward trend.