IN Brief:
- Canada listed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a project of national interest on 30 October 2026 under the Building Canada Act.
- The proposed C$5.9bn terminal would add 2.4 million TEU of annual capacity through three berths on 168 hectares of new industrial land.
- A final investment decision is targeted for mid-2027, and commercial operations are projected for 2035 while existing environmental conditions remain binding.
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is advancing Roberts Bank Terminal 2 after the Canadian government listed the proposed container terminal as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act on 30 October 2026. The decision coordinates outstanding federal authorisations as the authority works towards a final investment decision in mid-2027, with commercial operations now projected for 2035.
The proposed terminal would be built beside the existing Deltaport and Westshore facilities at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia. It is planned as a three-berth marine container operation on 168 hectares of new industrial land, adding capacity for approximately 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) each year.
The investment is estimated at C$5.9bn, excluding financing costs. Federal projections suggest it would increase the Port of Vancouver’s container capacity by approximately 50%, creating additional capacity at Canada’s largest maritime gateway and a major connection between North American supply chains and Indo-Pacific markets.
The national-interest listing follows a federal environmental approval granted in April 2023, subject to legally binding conditions. Those conditions remain in force as the project moves towards its outstanding permits and construction decisions. The Building Canada Act process allows remaining federal requirements to be coordinated through a single conditions document, rather than replacing the earlier environmental safeguards.
The federal Major Projects Office will coordinate remaining and future regulatory processes and consultation activity with the port authority and relevant agencies. The listing brings a clearer route towards the approvals needed for construction, while the authority’s mid-2027 final investment decision remains a separate financing and project-delivery milestone. Site construction has not begun as a result of the designation alone.
Canada has revised its planning outlook for the project, bringing the potential start of commercial operations forward from 2039 to 2035. That is a proposed acceleration of up to four years, dependent on securing the remaining decisions and delivering a substantial marine infrastructure programme within the revised timetable.
Three new berths and the associated handling and storage areas would increase the volume of containers that ships can discharge and load at Roberts Bank. The effectiveness of that capacity depends on rail and road connections able to remove inbound boxes and present export cargoes on time. Vessel calls, container stacking and inland train schedules therefore have to be designed as one connected operation.
Rail expansion and optimisation are therefore part of the wider Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy, alongside container capacity, bulk and industrial land development and environmental measures. Network planning has to account for the number and length of trains, terminal rail handling windows and the movement of containers between berths, storage positions and inland transport.
The government estimates the additional terminal could support up to C$100bn in annual trade and roughly 17,000 jobs across supply chains during operations. It also projects an annual contribution of about C$3bn to Canadian GDP. These are forecast economic effects of a future operating facility, not benefits already realised through the October designation.
Federal modelling suggests that constrained port capacity could add between C$800m and C$900m annually to shipping and transport costs from as early as 2031. The government also associates the wider gateway programme, including rail and logistics investment, with possible reductions in import costs and inland delivery times. These are projected outcomes under stated planning assumptions, distinct from operational savings already achieved.
The terminal’s projected annual capacity is 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), the standard measure used for container throughput. A 40-foot container normally represents two TEU, so the figure measures carrying capacity rather than 2.4 million individual physical boxes. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada explicitly uses TEU for the project, providing a consistent basis for comparison with other terminals.
The scheme is also subject to detailed environmental safeguards, reflecting its location within the Fraser estuary and the wider Salish Sea. The federal framework retains the conditions of the earlier environmental assessment and provides for further requirements and consultations concerning habitats, marine life and effects on coastal communities.
Tsawwassen First Nation has reiterated that its consent does not amount to unconditional support. It has secured commitments concerning harvesting, environmental protection, oversight and economic opportunities through years of engagement, while maintaining concerns about the Fraser estuary and Salish Sea. Canada has committed to maintaining the existing environmental conditions as the national-interest process proceeds.
The port authority has mutual benefit agreements with 27 Indigenous communities that previously consented to the project. Consultation and the implementation of those agreements will continue alongside regulatory coordination and delivery planning, including measures affecting habitat, fisheries and coastal activities. These obligations remain part of the construction and operating programme.
TerraMarine, a consortium including FlatironDragados, Aecon, Van Oord and Carlson Construction Group, was selected in July as preferred proponent for the landmass and wharf work. Its proposed scope includes a new marine landmass, berth pocket and wharf, a widened causeway, an expanded tug basin and environmental mitigation works. Detailed design, cost development and construction arrangements must align with the investment decision and remaining authorisations.
The next formal milestone is the final investment decision targeted for mid-2027. The designation provides a coordinated federal regulatory path, while the three-berth terminal, the proposed 2035 operating date and 2.4 million TEU of annual additional capacity remain dependent on subsequent financing and construction delivery.
