The Port of Saint John is used to taking a back seat to Montreal and Halifax, but advocates say it could emerge as a serious East Coast contender if it expands its global service connections and continues investing in larger-ship capabilities.

“Saint John can grow its business by moving into more international services, not only connecting the North Atlantic as it does today, and by ensuring the draft is deep enough to handle larger ships,” Peter Sand, chief analyst at maritime analytics firm Xeneta AS, said.

The New Brunswick port, operated by DP World, which signed a 60-year lease in August, handles ships from six container services, with vessel sizes ranging from 1,700 to 6,700 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units). Those include a feeder service from the Caribbean and Central America and a classic transatlantic service between Northern Europe and North America’s northeast coast, he said.

By contrast, Halifax has 20 services and welcomes ships of up to 14,000 TEUs from as far away as Southeast Asia, while Montreal has 12 services, but doesn’t serve any vessels above 4,800 TEUs, according to Xeneta data.

Sand said no carriers currently deploy 7,000-TEU vessels on Asia–North American East Coast routes, highlighting the need for infrastructure upgrades if Saint John hopes to attract such traffic. He said the port’s ambitious target of one million TEUs is achievable only through growth in global carrier connections, larger vessels and additional services.

Doug Smith, DP World Canada chief executive, said the company has invested more than $250 million in Saint John to bring in new cranes, deepen berths and enhance rail connectivity.

“We’ve brought in extra cranes, especially to get the height on deck,” he said. “We see Saint John’s natural deep water as a major advantage, and we’re aligned with carriers to grow volume as markets rebound.”

Smith said Saint John is not competing directly with Halifax or Montreal, but offers a distinct value proposition.

“Saint John has deep water, like Halifax, but we also have three Class 1 railroads in every direction, including into the Northeastern U.S.,” he said. “That’s a big advantage for containers bound for Boston or Maine.”

The port, Smith said, is positioning itself as a key East Coast gateway with deep-water access, multimodal rail links and modernized infrastructure. Despite global trade challenges, he said the port is on track toward one million TEUs, driven by strategic investments, carrier partnerships and regional industrial integration.

“Investments like those made by DP World will only pay off if you bring the business around, too,” Sand said. “DP World is primarily a terminal operator, so its success depends on attracting major global carriers.”

To that end, Smith said DP World’s partnerships with Maersk A/S, Hapag-Lloyd Canada Inc. and

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA — which handle most of Saint John’s traffic — are crucial to building reliability and global visibility.

There’s also the new Gemini Cooperation partnership between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd that connects Saint John with Europe and inland Canada through

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (CPKC) and Canadian National Railway Co. , thereby improving reliability and integration. Despite challenges such as shipping disruptions in the Red Sea,

United States tariffs and sluggish post-COVID-19 demand, Smith remains optimistic.

“This will turn around,” he said. “Does it take a year or three? Everyone has a view. But when these 16,000-TEU vessels are full, they can’t enter New York or Norfolk at capacity; they need deepwater ports like Halifax or Saint John to lighten before heading south.”

DP World is also working to attract larger ships and more container lines, with active discussions underway.

“From a terminal standpoint, I’d rather bring in three or four very large ships for the same volume than five or six medium-sized ones,” Smith said.

Container traffic has surged 300 per cent in less than a decade, growing to 175,000 TEUs last year from 57,402 in 2017. The port is on track for 230,000 TEUs this year, with capacity to double that before dredging is required.

“Our volume projections are going to grow significantly over the next decade,” Smith said. “We’re having very good conversations with some of the world’s largest carriers. If you look at the top 10, we’re talking to all of them.”

He said Saint John is becoming increasingly attractive to national retailers, and DP World is exploring the concept of having distribution centres for companies such as Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. In January, Americold Realty Trust Inc. announced plans to develop its first Canadian import-export hub at Port Saint John, in collaboration with DP World and CPKC.

Last year, DP World added two high-capacity cranes, bringing the total to six — a record number for the port. These upgrades align with the completion of the port’s $250-million terminal modernization project.

DP World also expanded its footprint by taking over management of Canpotex Ltd.’s potash facility, and the company now employs more than 250 people in Saint John, with plans to add 100 more as operations grow.

Sand said Saint John could ultimately emerge as a serious East Coast gateway.

“Success depends on having a stable labour force, strong hinterland connectivity, modern cranes, reefer plugs, warehousing, and the ability to attract global carriers,” he said. “Time will tell who DP World can bring in.”

  • Behind P.E.I.’s land saga: Buddhist groups, big investments and calls for federal investigation
  • Vancouver is Canada’s shipping giant, but trade flows may be shifting east