PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — A poor grain harvest in Western Canada dragged down grain exports at the Prince Rupert Grain Terminal in 2021. Grain exports in 2021 totaled 3,550,811 tonnes, down 33% from 5,278,977 tonnes in 2020, according to the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

With a capacity to ship in excess of seven million tonnes a year, the Prince Rupert Grain Terminal has the highest throughput of any grain-cleaning elevator in Canada. The terminal primarily handles wheat, barley and canola from the Canadian prairies, but also processes and exports byproducts such as grain screening pellets, feed screenings, mixed feed oats and associated commodities. The terminal features eight shipping bins and three tower-mounted loading spouts that can load up to 4,000 tonnes an hour into vessels.

Overall, a total of more than 25 million tonnes of cargo moved through the Prince Rupert Gateway in Northern British Columbia during 2021, down 23% from 2020, according to the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

“Given the year that we’ve all experienced in the province of BC with the impacts of extreme weather events, supply chain congestion, and economic uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects, 2021 served to underscore the necessity for additional investment and diversification in the Prince Rupert Gateway to offset trade pattern volatility and shore up the economy against any future supply chain disruptions on North America’s West Coast,” said Shaun Stevenson, president and chief executive officer of Prince Rupert Port Authority. “We continue to advance the development of critical infrastructure and expansion projects at the Port of Prince Rupert to best support the resilience, diversification and growth of Canadian trade and supply routes. By expanding, we hope to continue be a key economic driver in Northern BC for the benefit of all and will be better positioned to offer Canadian industries supply chain security as the global economy rebounds from the effects of the pandemic.”