Wednesday August 23 2017 – The Minister of International Trade and Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice-Champlain, the Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Ms. Danielle St-Amand – Director of the Board of the Trois-Rivières Port Authority (TRPA), Mr. Gaétan Boivin, President and CEO of the TRPA, and Mr. Marc Paquin, President of Groupe Somavrac, inaugurated today Terminal 13 of the Port of Trois-Rivières.
With investments of $ 25 million, including $ 12.5 million from the Government of Canada, Terminal 13 provides customers with a first-class infrastructure to facilitate the import and export of a wide range of products. This is a multi-purpose infrastructure with a surface area of approximately 23,000 square metres with two berths. It is also very well served by rail and road.
As Mr. Gaétan Boivin explained, “We are proud to inaugurate Terminal 13 today. This represents the pièce de résistance of the On Course for 2020 strategic plan and we are very pleased to offer a modern and versatile infrastructure to businesses from the Mauricie, Quebec and Canada, thereby facilitating access to foreign markets.” [Translation]
Terminal 13 will be operated by Somavrac, a company that literally began their operations on the docks of the Port of Trois-Rivières in 1963 and is now one of the most important handlers in eastern Canada. Mr. Marc Paquin explained that “Facilities at Terminal 13 will allow us to better meet the specific needs of our customers. We can subsequently offer them value-added services, as well as innovative solutions to optimize our productivity.” [Translation]
As Mr. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, indicated, “Canadian ports, such as Trois-Rivières, play an indispensable role in our economic growth by facilitating the rapid and efficient movement of goods throughout North America and around the world. The Government of Canada strives on strengthening Canada’s trade ties with all its trading partners by encouraging small and medium-sized businesses to capitalize on opportunities created abroad through our free trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union.” [Translation]
In recent years, the Port has carried out a major plan to modernize its infrastructure. In addition to the construction of Terminal 13 and the extension of current Terminal 10, this plan included the construction of warehouses 9, 15, 16, 24 and 25, the redesign of external storage areas 9, 10 and 11, the improvement of the road network, the establishment of a secure perimeter and the development of the main and secondary gates. The Hector-Louis-Langevin Park and many green spaces were also added. Over the last decade, $ 131.6 million have been invested. These investments were divided between the TRPA: $ 49 million, the Government of Canada: $ 22.2 million, the Government of Quebec: $ 8.2 million and the private sector: $ 52.2 million.
About Somavrac
A user of the Port of Trois-Rivières since 1963, Somavrac offers specialized services in the multimodal handling of bulk goods. Through its various maritime, rail and road accesses, Somavrac has the necessary resources to fulfill customer’s logistics activities in full or in part. The company’s services include stevedoring, warehousing, transportation, distribution, handling, bagging and transformation of goods.
About the Port of Trois-Rivières
The Port of Trois-Rivières handles over 3 million metric tonnes of traffic and generates close to 900 direct jobs. It accommodates 55,000 trucks, 11,000 railcars and more than 200 merchant and cruise ships annually originating from over 100 different ports in more than 40 countries around the world.
As part of the 18 Canadian Port Authorities and active since 1882, the Port of Trois-Rivières offers a wide range of facilities and services to the maritime industry throughout the year. It is an important player in regional, national and international economic development for major industrial sectors such as the construction industry, aluminum, mining and agri-food.
On the picture: Mr. Marc Paquin, President of Groupe Somavrac, Ms. Danielle St-Amand – Director of the Board of the Trois-Rivières Port Authority (TRPA), Mr Jean-Philippe Fortier, maritime superintendent for Somavrac, The Minister of International Trade and Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice-Champlain, the Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Mr Nicholas Tremblay, maritime foreman for Somavrac and Mr. Gaétan Boivin, President and CEO of the TRPA.