Overview
- Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Global Container Terminals signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion after years of competing plans, setting a one-year exclusive process to negotiate a joint deal.
- GCT has withdrawn its separate Deltaport Berth 4 proposal and will now focus on RBT2, while the port authority retains control of the landmass, permits, and engagement with Indigenous groups such as the Musqueam and Tsawwassen.
- Procurement for RBT2 is underway, and the port says it expects to name a partner to build the new landmass this summer.
- The project was approved by Ottawa and B.C. in 2023 under 370 binding environmental conditions, as local critics warn of reduced mudflat biofilms that feed migratory shorebirds and unions question the scale of planned automation.
- Port leaders cite rising demand to justify the build, pointing to a 2025 record of about 3.8 million containers handled and projecting roughly 3,000 construction jobs and up to 1,500 operating jobs.