Full steam ahead: Algoma port project nearing construction phase.

AuthorKelly, Lindsay
PositionSault Ste. Marie

Shovels could be in the ground as early as 2016 to start the Port of Algoma redevelopment project, but the harbour has already attracted a new client in the interim.

Anshumali Dwivedi, CEO of the Port of Algoma, said the company is starting to see "traction on the ground" as a result of actively pursuing new business for the Sault Ste. Marie port.

"We've secured the first few cargos in 2015," he said in mid-October. "Hopefully in October we'll have the first ship coming in with aggregate cargo, so it's bulk material coming in."

That promises to be just the start for the facility, which is following through on a plan to open use of the port to local and regional traffic. It currently serves Essar Steel Algoma and a handful of other clients, including Tenaris Algoma Tubes, Purvis Marine and Superior Slag.

The port property covers 4.5 kilometres of waterfront and 1,000 acres of land; the company has already pinpointed 440 acres for redevelopment, which includes 1.4 kilometres of developed docks.

But the docks are aging, and in various stages of their lifecycles, and will require upgrades in order to be ready to handle additional traffic, Dwivedi said.

"Also, there was a lot of scope for mechanization and putting in modern cargo-handling equipment, which could scale up the cargo-handling capacities of these existing docks and also make them much more efficient for the user groups," he added.

The company is now in the final stages of a $5.3-million study, expected out this fall, to examine current traffic patterns and the potential industrial development opportunities that could increase port traffic.

The study was jointly funded by FedNor and NOHFC, which each put in $2.1 million; the city, which contributed $300,000; and Essar Steel Algoma, which devoted $800,000 to the study. It's being completed by KPMG and AECOM.

Dan Hollingsworth, executive director of business development at the Sault's Economic Development Corporation, said in addition to drawing new users to the port, the study is looking at what offshoot businesses could develop in the Sault as a result of increased port traffic.

"We're looking at the industrial opportunities that could fit well with the port infrastructure," said Hollingsworth, who has been working closely with the Port of Algoma. "So it's not only the cargo that's within the region, but also looking at what kinds of industries we can grow in Sault Ste. Marie and area with respect to having the port infrastructure."

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