Strait Superport
The spirit and the purpose of Nova Scotia’s Strait of Canso Superport Corporation Limited is summed up in these words: Promoting and accommodating marine operations in the Strait of Canso for the benefit of the area’s economy.
As Strait Superport CEO Tim Gilfoy explains, the non-profit organization was established in the late 1990s in response to Transport Canada’s divestment of public port facilities. In 2000, the Strait Superport took ownership of the Mulgrave Marine Terminal and the Port Hawkesbury Pier.
“I think the rationale for our organization was very much to see what we could do with the physical assets here and grow them to create more jobs for the area,” he says. Since 2002-03, Gilfoy says activity at the two facilities has pretty much doubled.
The Mulgrave Marine Terminal sits on about 10 acres, about five of which constitute a laydown area. “It’s a big flat area, right behind the wharf face, that’s paved,” Gilfoy says. “We call it ‘laydown area’ because the shipping industry can take material in and off-load it and store it on the wharf for short or long periods of time.” A 35,000 square foot warehouse office complex, constructed in 2003-04, is also part of the terminal.
The Port Hawkesbury Pier is a smaller facility. “It’s a good asset for barges and other smaller vessels that are looking for a place to tie up either during or in between assignments,” Gilfoy says. It, too, has undergone significant change, having been rebuilt in 2001.
Gilfoy says the Strait Superport’s revenue is generated from three key sources: retail office and warehouse space rental, wharfage (a charge per tonne of material loaded over a wharf) and berthage (a charge for tying up to a wharf).
In maximizing the potential of the two facilities, creativity and resourcefulness comes into play. “What we tried to do when we did some fairly significant improvements to our facilities is to make sure that we built in enough flexibility so that if one activity is down in a given year, then there’s another activity that can move in to keep our revenue where we need it to be,” Gilfoy says. “There are not many things that we turn down as long as there’s some physical way of handling it.”
Take, for example, a wharf project for northern Quebec in which the Strait Superport played an integral role. “The components were built here and shipped up for it,” Gilfoy says. “That’s one of the advantages of having the deep water and some good laydown area on our facility.”
Resourcefulness is also evident in logistics. “With the varying types of activity that we get involved in, we always have to be cognizant of conducting our business so that the companies that are using our facilities get the efficiencies they need without impeding the efficiencies of another client that is also working on the wharf,” Gilfoy says.
It is an active port. The ice-free port’s depth (the shallowest point in the entrance to the port is 92 feet), the near presence of natural resources and a proximity to shipping routes are just a few of its attractions, according to Gilfoy. On a total tonnage basis the port is one of the largest in the country. “In 2007, there was in excess of 33 million tonnes of product shipped through the Strait of Canso,” he says.
The Strait Superport website list of cargo which makes its way through the Strait includes manufactured goods, petroleum products, pulp, newsprint, gypsum and seafood.
“When you talk about things that make it attractive for doing business in Nova Scotia, I think one of the features is that we can be an access point for the import and export of goods and services for the North American market, particularly the main consumption area of the northeastern United States,” says Gilfoy.
He notes that another strength associated with the port is the significant acreage of industrial land adjacent to it, a key source for economic development. There is also a workforce that goes beyond the communities which border the strait. Gilfoy, himself, makes the daily commute from his home in Antigonish. “There are a lot of people from Antigonish that work in the industries that are established along the Strait and the employee base extends down the coastline of Cape Breton quite a distance, too,” he says.
In addition to its four employees, the Strait Superport Corporation has an active volunteer Board of Directors on which shippers, ship service providers, municipal representatives, and a representative each from the provincial government and Strait Area Chamber of Commerce sit. Gilfoy describes the Board as “a very dedicated group of individuals who have the best interests of the Strait area in mind.”
Going forward, Gilfoy says, the corporation wants to “continue to be mindful of doing a good job on managing and operating the two facilities that we own. In the future we look to play a greater role in overall port governance and if we can do that and generate some more revenue, then certainly we’ll be looking to invest further in the infrastructure in the area to create more shipping and economic development opportunities.”
One constant will be an appreciation of Nova Scotia’s lifestyle. When Gilfoy speaks of the corporation’s employees, he again mentions dedication and the range of skills they bring to their work. He adds, “One thing I would point to, and it’s probably consistent with any dedicated work force, is they want to be here. They want to be employed in a part of the province that offers a very attractive quality of life.”
It’s an asset that Gilfoy also appreciates. He says a good mix of activities is accessible, from outdoor pursuits to recreational activities for children and youth which are supported by dedicated community volunteers. “Nova Scotia offers an environment where you can get things done and develop a career while living in an area that offers a very enviable quality of life.”
Feature story written by Marie Weeren
