The Port of Prince Rupert's container terminal has been ranked as the fastest growing in North America and No. 8 in the world.
The ranking was part of the release of independent marine consulting firm Drewry Publishing's annual container port overview.
The port, and particularly its three-year-old container terminal, has been touted as providing economic benefits to Prince George and throughout northern B.C.
The port's Fairvew Container Terminal handled nearly 345,000 container units in 2010, a 29.5 per cent increase over 2009.
Import container volumes grew 24.2 per cent, while export volumes grew a staggering 37 per cent, said the Prince Rupert Port Authority. The increase was driven, in part, by north-central B.C. softwood lumber destined for the burgeoning Chinese market.
"The growth in export volumes originating in the northwest and across the northern corridor was a very positive development through 2010, and clearly demonstrated the potential for the Port of Prince Rupert as a strategic gateway for Canadian and U.S. exports," said Prince Rupert Port Authority president and CEO Don Krusel.
