Port SJ CEO and President Jim Quinn (left) and new Board of Director Chair Lisa Keenan (right).
Port Saint John is on track for another successful year, according to numbers in their 2018 annual report.
CEO Jim Quinn says their export numbers last year are down from previous years, partly due to the explosion at the Irving Oil Refinery, which directly impacted port operations.
However, he says potash exports remain high, hovering just above 1 million metric tonnes last year. 2017 saw potash exports of 1.4 million.
“We were thrilled about that because historically we would never do a million tonnes of just potash. Year previous we’d do a million tonnes of potash and salt, but to have a million tonnes of potash come down for…a second year in a row bodes well for the future of the Port,” he said in an interview.
He notes Brazil wants to increase its potash imports, and Africa is also looking to come on board, something Quinn is very excited about.
He also says future imports and exports are in the works, especially in the produce sector, including something special for Saint John.
“There’s one commodity that I’ve been pursuing since 2011, and I’ll tell you when it comes, you’ll hear about it,” he hinted.
Overall cargo tonnage for 2018 was more than 25 million metric tonnes, making Saint John the third busiest port in the country, behind Vancouver and Montreal.
2019 will see 85 ships dock at the port, a big increase from last year. (Danielle McCreadie)
Quinn says cruise tourism is growing in popularity as more and more people are booking cruises for their vacations.
He says they offer a lot of “bang for your buck,” and allow people to explore different places with ease.
Last year, the port saw 65 cruise ships.
“85 ships are due this year. Over 200,000 passengers, and on top of that there’d be probably about another 80,000 to 85,000 crew. So that’s going to be up into the record year zone. Going into next year, its going to be another strong year,” he said.
Quinn says cruise ship growth is easy to predict as people often book trips far in advance.
He says the cruise season has also started earlier than usual this year, meaning more time for more ships.
Port Saint John also has new business in green energy happening on Long Wharf this year, with the building of wind turbines for projects in New Brunswick.
Quinn says facilitating green energy projects is something they hope to do more of.
“Wind power at sea is going to become of significant importance. Right now for example, from New Hampshire down to Rhode Island, state governments have put huge emphasis on changing great percentages of their energy generation to off-shore wind power,” he said.
Quinn says Saint John is in a good place geographically and has good capability to do the wind power work.
He says the port is also committed to reducing its carbon footprint through its ‘Green Marine’ program.
