Port Of Montreal, Canada

The Port of Montreal is the second largest city in Canada and the busiest seaport on the St. Lawrence River and Seaway that links the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The Port of Montreal is about 267 kilometers southwest of Canada's Port of Quebec and about 335 kilometers northwest of the Port of Portland, Maine, in the United States. Covering about 75% of Montreal Island, the Port of Montreal surrounds Mount Royal rising some 233 meters above sea level. The Montreal metropolitan area contains many cities and towns that rest on both shores of the St. Lawrence River.

In 2006, over 1.6 million people lived in the Port of Montreal, and more than 3.6 million people resided in the greater metropolitan area.


The Port of Montreal boasts the most productive economy in Quebec and the second most productive in Canada. It is a national center for culture, commerce, technology, finance, and technology. Industries in the Port of Montreal include pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, aerospace, software engineering, electronics, printing and publishing, transpiration, and tobacco. The Port of Montreal also supports a strong service sector and a sizeable research and development component. In addition to all this activity, the Port of Montreal is the world's biggest inland port and one of Canada's most important ports as well as a hub for the country's rail network.

In early 1947, the Canadian and U.S. governments started talking about building the St. Lawrence Seaway as a joint venture that was completed in 1959. Unfortunately, the Seaway allowed many vessels to by-pass the Port of Montreal, reducing the Port of Montreal's position of economic dominance.

The popular Expo 67 brought international recognition to the Port of Montreal in 1967. The recognition won the first non-U.S. major league baseball franchise for the Port of Montreal, and the Montreal Expos played ball in the city from 1969 until 2004 when they were moved (as the Nationals) to Washington D.C.

Hosting the Summer Olympics in 1967 proved to be a financial disaster for the Port of Montreal, as it acquired heavy debt burdens for the province. Exacerbating the Port of Montreal's problems, the Quebec separatist movement led many corporations to move their headquarter offices from the Port of Montreal to Toronto during the 1970s and 1980s, largely due to the enforcement of French-language use "guidelines." The Port of Montreal's economy slowed to a near stand-still in the early 1990s, but it began to make gradual improvements when high-technology industries like electronics and aerospace engineering started growing.

In 2002, all 27 municipalities on Montreal Island were merged into one vast city of Montreal. However, several districts did not agree with the merger. All citizens were allowed to vote on the action in 2005, and 15 elected to separate from the megappolis in 2006, becoming once again independent municipalities.

 

The Montreal Port Authority (MPA), an autonomous federal agency, is responsible for making the Port of Montreal a competitive world-class seaport. The MPA constructs and maintains port infrastructure and leases properties to private stevedoring companies and shipping lines. It also operates a grain terminal, a passenger terminal, and a railway with 100 kilometers of track that serves almost every berth in the Port of Montreal. The MPA's mission is to manage the Port of Montreal's infrastructure, facilitate transportation and logistics, promote trade, contribute to the local and national economies, and respect the environment. Pilotage services are required on the St. Lawrence River between the Les Escoumins pilotage station and the Port of Montreal.

In 2008, the Port of Montreal welcomed 2096 vessels carrying 27 million tons of cargo, including 15.2 million tons of imports and 11.8 million tons of exports. The total cargo volume included 13.3 million tons of containerized cargo in 1.5 million TEUs, 215.6 thousand tons of non-containerized general cargo, 5.5 million tons of dry bulk cargoes, and 8 million tons of liquid bulk cargoes. The Port of Montreal also hosted 41 cruise vessels carrying 39.6 thousand passengers.

The Port of Montreal's containerized cargoes included forest products, foodstuffs, metal products, construction materials, iron and steel products, vehicles and accessories, chemicals, textiles, ores, and a variety of other goods. Non-containerized general cargoes included metal products, roll-on/roll-off cargoes, iron and steel products, granite and sandstone, vehicles and accessories, forest products, and other goods.

Liquid bulk cargoes handled in the Port of Montreal were dominated by gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel oil, but they also included jet fuel and asphalt. Dry bulk cargoes were dominated by included grain and iron ore, but they also included salt, raw sugar, fertilizers, zinc ore, scrap metals, copper ore, gypsum, dolomite, industrial sand, and other commodities. In 2008, the Port of Montreal's international trading partners accounted 21.3 million of the total 27 million tons of cargo passing through the port. The major international partners were the United Kingdom and Continental Europe, the United States, the Mediterranean region, Latin America.

The berths in the Port of Montreal are a total of 11.7 thousand meters in length with alongside depths ranging from 6.1 meters to 10.7 meters, and they contain a total of 885.3 thousand square meters of open areas and 102.2 thousand square meters of sheds.
Berths specializing in handling containers in the Port of Montreal are a total of 3.6 thousand meters long and contain 591.6 thousand square meters of open area. Two container berths in the Bikerdike Terminal are a total 357 meters in length with alongside depth of 8.8 meters, and they contain 9.6 thousand square meters open area). Four berths are located in the Cast Terminal with a total length of 738 meters and alongside depths of 10.7 meters. The Port of Montreal's Cast Terminal also contains 197.1 thousand square meters of open area.


The four container berths in the Port of Montreal's Maisonneuve Terminal are 827 meters long with alongside depth of 10.7 meters, and they contain a total 179 thousand square meters of open area. Nine container berths in the Racine Terminal at the Port of Montreal total 1.6 thousand meters in length with alongside depths ranging from 8.2 to 10.7 meters, and they include 205.9 thousand square meters of open area. Five of the Racine Terminal berths have alongside depth of 10.7 meters.

Fourteen berths in the Port of Montreal specialize in non-containerized general cargoes and are a total 2.8 thousand meters in length with alongside depths ranging from 6.1 to 10.7 meters. These berths also contain 147.6 thousand square meters of open area and 64.8 thousand square meters of covered shed space. The Port of Montreal's Non-container berths 22 through 28 all have alongside depth of 8.8 meters and range in length from 152 to 200 meters. Non-container berths 48 through 52 all have alongside depth of 10.7 meters and range in length from 158 to 338 meters. These berths include 91.1 thousand square meters of open area and 29 thousand square meters of covered shed.

The non-containerized general cargo berths in the Port of Montreal include two berths in the Contrecouer Terminal. Berth 1 in the Contrecoeur Terminal is 229 meters long with alongside depth of 10.7 meters and contains 3.7 thousand square meters of covered shed. Berth 2 in the Contrecoeur Terminal is 175 meters long with alongside depth of 6.1 meters.
The Port of Montreal berths handling dry bulk cargoes are a total of 2.7 thousand meters long and contain 146.1 thousand square meters of open area and 37.4 thousand square meters of covered shed. Berths 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, and 98 have alongside depth of 9.1 meters and range in length from 152 to 202 meters. These berths contain a total of 39.6 thousand square meters of open area. Berth 33 has a 3.7 thousand square meter shed. Dry bulk berth 39 is 183 meters long with alongside depth of 9.4 meters, and it includes 8.7 thousand square meters of open area and a 5.2 thousand square meter shed.

Berth 43 in the Port of Montreal is 266 meters long with alongside depth of 10.2 meters, and it has 31.1 thousand square meters of open area. Berth 46 is 144 meters long with alongside depth of 10.2 meters, and it contains 4.7 thousand square meters of open area and 4.9 thousand square meters of shed.

The remaining Port of Montreal dry bulk berths (40, 41, 42, 46SE, 71 and 1) are a total 1.2 thousand meters long with alongside depth of 10.7 meters, and they include a total 35.1 thousand square meters of open area and 8.4 thousand square meters of covered shed. These berths range in length from 162 to 229 meters long. Berth 81 has the largest open area of 27.3 thousand square meters.

The Port of Montreal's Grain Terminal contains two berths. Berth 54/55 is 395 meters long with alongside depth of 10.7 meters, and Berth 56 is 245 meters long with alongside depth of 8.2 meters.

Berths handling liquid bulk cargoes in the Port of Montreal total 1.9 thousand meters in length. They include berths specializing in non-petroleum liquid bulk (Berths 56-57 and 57-58) are a total of 342 meters long. Berth 56-57 has alongside depth of 10.7 meters, and Berth 57-58 has alongside depth of 9.8 meters.

The 11 liquid bulk berths specializing in petroleum in the Port of Montreal total 1.5 thousand meters in length and have a total capacity for 13.5 million barrels. Petroleum berths 74, 94, 95, 103S, and 109 all have alongside depth of 10.7 meters and range in length from 190 to 406 meters. Berths 96, 103N, and 105 have alongside depth of 9.7, 9.1, and 9.4 respectively.
A favorite harbor for recreational boaters, the Port d'escale, the Quays of the Old Port of Montreal, is located minutes from downtown.

With 110 berths for boats up to 7.5 meters draft, the marina offers tie-up and valet services, gated access and 24-hour patrol, power outlets, rates for hourly or daily stop-overs, pump-out facilities, free Wi-Fi access, and complete sanitary services. The Old Port of Montreal runs along the romantic De la Commune Street waterfront in the Port of Montreal's historic district. This birthplace of the 350-year-old city is visited by over seven million visitors each year. The Old Port of Montreal Corporation, an autonomous federal agency, is responsible for managing, developing, and operating the Old Port of Montreal, including marine facilities and the tourist and cultural opportunities. Within the Old Port, the MPA operates the Iberville Passenger Terminal.