[Saint John] Port Development

[KnoxfordGuy]

4 extra cruise ships will be calling on Saint John over the next several days due to weather down south. That 81 ships with 192,322 passengers this season. That doesn't include crew.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

4 extra cruise ships will be calling on Saint John over the next several days due to weather down south. That 81 ships with 192,322 passengers this season. That doesn't include crew.

I was watching an update on Humberto and Imelda and wondering about us getting extra ships. "It's an ill wind that blows no good"

[bingun]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

4 extra cruise ships will be calling on Saint John over the next several days due to weather down south. That 81 ships with 192,322 passengers this season. That doesn't include crew.

Great news. I believe 81 ships would be a new record for a single year, and 192K is just short of the record passenger count in 2019, which was about 196K. Let's hope we don't have any cancellations before the end of the season.

[KnoxfordGuy]

1 more ship diverted to SJ. Now 82 ships and 196,554 passengers! The record was 196,032 in 2019. New record!

[bingun]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

1 more ship diverted to SJ. Now 82 ships and 196,554 passengers! The record was 196,032 in 2019. New record!

Yes, looks like a third on Friday now too. That is five consecutive days with three ships in port, although some of that is due to overnight stays. I don't think I have ever seen a week as busy as that before.

I often wonder how the passenger count is calculated. I assume the figures used are the maximum passenger capacity of the ship, but I highly doubt they are close to full for most journeys. Do they track and release 'actual' numbers? I also wonder about crew numbers. While many of them probably aren't spending as much as the passengers onshore, some do.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Crew numbers are never calculated in passengers. The biggest ships calling on SJ say 4,000+ passengers. But there is always another 1200-2000 crew.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

Crew numbers are never calculated in passengers. The biggest ships calling on SJ say 4,000+ passengers. But there is always another 1200-2000 crew.

So, do we know if the passenger numbers are based on ship capacity or actual number of passengers from the manifests?

[bingun]

Originally Posted by sailor734

So, do we know if the passenger numbers are based on ship capacity or actual number of passengers from the manifests?

I did a little more research myself, and it seems it is based on 'double occupancy', so two people per room.

Sometimes, you will have fewer passengers due to empty rooms and cancellations, but if there are children on board, that usually pushes the numbers up, and you can end up with over 100%.

The port will release actual numbers at a later date.

[KnoxfordGuy]

What was the main tourist draw in Saint John before the cruise ships? They only started coming 30 years ago or so right?

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

What was the main tourist draw in Saint John before the cruise ships? They only started coming 30 years ago or so right?

I actually had a summer job one year in the late 70's at the Reversing Falls tourist bureau when the province ran it. Tons of tourists almost all on driving holidays. Most just in cars but a fair number towing travel trailers too. There were also a significant number of bus tours coming through. A lot were just en route to PEI or NS but many stayed a night or two and spent a full day here. Attractions were the Falls, Loyalist House, The City Market, Stone and Trinity churches, Martello tower and the NB Museum on Douglas Ave. Being a provincial operation we gave information on other areas of the province too....not just within the city. I seem to recall planning a drive that involved crossing several covered bridges was popular .....as was a sidetrip out to St Martins.

[bingun]

I saw the port updated its Facebook with a new image. You can see further progress on the Americold facility, but you can also see a freshly asphalted area where the old slips were infilled. It looks like that area may be ready for containers shortly.



They also released another episode of their 'podcast' today. The guests were Shannon Merrifield and Andrew Beckett from the Saint John Chamber of Commerce and Envision Saint John, respectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG4lr64jL5w

It is an interesting listen to see where their heads are at, but no new major revelations as it relates to Saint John or the Port.

My only observations were that Andrew mentioned they are courting several developers for residential development and that they are already considering further land for industrial use in addition to the recently expanded Spruce Lake Industrial Park. He said that all it will take is four developments, and that land will be consumed, necessitating the need for more land.

Either he is very optimistic or there are a considerable number of interested parties. Surely something must come forward on this front soon if it is in such demand?

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by bingun

I saw the port updated its Facebook with a new image. You can see further progress on the Americold facility, but you can also see a freshly asphalted area where the old slips were infilled. It looks like that area may be ready for containers shortly.


They also released another episode of their 'podcast' today. The guests were Shannon Merrifield and Andrew Beckett from the Saint John Chamber of Commerce and Envision Saint John, respectively.

• Video Link

It is an interesting listen to see where their heads are at, but no new major revelations as it relates to Saint John or the Port.

My only observations were that Andrew mentioned they are courting several developers for residential development and that they are already considering further land for industrial use in addition to the recently expanded Spruce Lake Industrial Park. He said that all it will take is four developments, and that land will be consumed, necessitating the need for more land.

Either he is very optimistic or there are a considerable number of interested parties. Surely something must come forward on this front soon if it is in such demand?

Anyone know why there's still these "pockets" of water left? Like, will they eventually be filled in, or is there some sort structural purpose to keeping them?


Started watching the Port Podcast interview, but didn't have time to finish. Four developments being enough to consume 1500+ acres sounds like some pretty large scale developments.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

What was the main tourist draw in Saint John before the cruise ships? They only started coming 30 years ago or so right?

Saint John and the Bay of Fundy are the draws for the cruise ship passengers, the ships are just the method of transport. However, the cruise ships themselves are definitely a draw for local tourism, as I'm sure many people from the surrounding communities and even further away drive to Saint John just to see some of the most impressive cruise ships. (Like the Norwegian Aqua in tomorrow)



I guess wayyyy back in the day, well before even Sailor's time, Beatty's Beach on the West Side was one of the most popular bathing resorts on the east coast. The beach no longer exists and the railway now goes through where the beach once was, on land reclaimed from the sea.




Would sure be good to see some substantial investments in Saint John's many beaches. I don't think the city, nor the province, play up nearly enough the coastal charm that this city has to offer.

[bingun]

They also mentioned the offshore wind supply chain, which relates to a post I did a while back on how PSJ could be utilized. I am glad to hear Craig is enthusiastic about that.

However, I also read some additional analysis of Nova Scotia's plans, and it included an expert from Europe who essentially advised against rushing things, stating that it's not feasible to transition from 0 to 10 or 20 GW, as Tim Houston is proposing. I think that is probably wise, and they should try to get some initial projects off the ground to build local expertise and establish the supply chain before going all out.

There was no mention of the proposed vehicle import trial and use of RoRo vessels, but that doesn't mean it's off the table. I am hoping to see some updates on that eventually.

[paperplane]

Brent McGovern has been hired as the new COO at Port Saint John.

[DyAm00394]

There is a new headline on AllNewBrunswick: “Hapag-Lloyd Drops Saint John
From One Weekly Service”. It’s paywalled so can’t view the article for more information.

[cdnguys]

Originally Posted by DyAm00394

There is a new headline on AllNewBrunswick: “Hapag-Lloyd Drops Saint John
From One Weekly Service”. It’s paywalled so can’t view the article for more information.

I assume they are referring to Ocean Network Express (ONE) containers. Hard to read it any other way as it’s written.

[CharlotteCountyLogan]

Yeah I have to assume it's the ONE service that has stopped calling since the Hapag-Maersk alliance started up eariler this year.
If it's something else like the MCA or AL1 or CES then that's bad for the port. Lets hope it's not

[DevelopmentAndy]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Anyone know why there's still these "pockets" of water left? Like, will they eventually be filled in, or is there some sort structural purpose to keeping them?


Started watching the Port Podcast interview, but didn't have time to finish. Four developments being enough to consume 1500+ acres sounds like some pretty large scale developments.

Intellectual midgets saying "We need immigration." No, locals can also work at Tim Horton's. Criticizing the idea of immigration reform is just sad with this Port Dog and Pony Show. Thanks for posting though.

[cdnguys]

Originally Posted by DevelopmentAndy

Intellectual midgets saying "We need immigration." No, locals can also work at Tim Horton's. Criticizing the idea of immigration reform is just sad with this Port Dog and Pony Show. Thanks for posting though.

Immigrants aren’t the ones locking your front door and keeping you from going to work. In fact, if you talk to business owners, many will tell you that immigrants often make exceptional employees — for two main reasons. First, they’re highly motivated and ambitious, which naturally raises performance standards in the workplace. Second, their attendance is reliable and consistent — they show up, ready to work. Take a local auto parts store, for example. They’re offering $27 an hour for someone to order parts on a computer, and they still struggle to find local candidates willing to take the job. The reality is, we don’t have enough people in the local workforce to replace retirees, let alone support future growth. In my industry, we’re seeing an increase in Nigerian workers, and the results are clear: they consistently perform at a high level. They present themselves professionally and take pride in their work and appearance — a level of professionalism that stands out. Talk to any Tim Hortons franchise owner and you’ll hear the same story. Many rely on Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) candidates not because they want to, but because they can’t find reliable local staff — and often face criticism for making that choice.