Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority 2020 Highlights

Westport redevelopment

Through 2020, HOPA progressed on its $40+ million Westport Modernization Project. Westport is a 115-acre area located at the west end of the port, and is among the oldest industrial employment areas in Hamilton. The project will see port lands used more efficiently, and reconfigured to create new employment land development parcels. New transportation infrastructure will improve efficiency and fluidity for port users. Perimeter areas will add landscaping to improve the port-city interface. “Improvements to the Westport area will optimize the port’s current footprint, and help Canadian companies get their goods to global markets.” said Ian Hamilton, President & CEO of Hamilton Port Authority. Supported by a $17.7 million contribution from the National Trade Corridors Fund, HOPA expects to leverage the investment into $80-90 million in new business attraction.

As part of the Westport project, HOPA recently announced a new partnership agreement with Federal Marine Terminals (FMT) that expands the company’s presence at the Port of Hamilton.

FMT is the largest and busiest terminal operator at the Port of Hamilton; as many as 90 vessels visit FMT’s Hamilton terminal each season. The agreement will see FMT grow its physical footprint on Piers 12-14 to 31 acres. FMT is a recognized industry leader in marine terminal operations. FMT’s Hamilton terminal handles a wide variety of project and breakbulk cargo (finished steel, machinery, windmill components, containers, etc.), and dry bulk materials (aggregates, salt, sugar, gypsum, etc.), many of which are essential raw materials for southern Ontario’s manufacturing, construction, and food processing sectors.

The new expansion includes new dockwalls, warehousing and rail connections, reconfiguring roadways to reduce interference with residential roadways and create more usable cargo space, and new environmental features throughout the site.

“Thanks to the Port of Hamilton’s support and confidence, we at FMT are pleased to grow and modernize our facility at the Port of Hamilton, enabling us to deliver on our commitment to operational excellence, customer service, and environmental sustainability,” said Louis Saint-Cyr, Executive Vice-President, FMT and Fednav Direct.

Pier 10 hub enhances Hamilton’s leadership in $1 billion agri-food sector

HOPA Ports is leading the development of a dedicated agri-food cluster at the port’s Pier 10, investing $16 million in infrastructure to attract investment and support food production. The agri-food sector is a $1 billion industry in Hamilton; the Pier 10 project will provide essential supply chain ingredients in this sector, including locally refined sugar and locally milled flour for a wide variety of food processors in the region.

This project includes the relocation of Soletanche Bachy Canada (SBC), formerly Bermingham Foundations (a pile driving manufacturer) to a new location in the port to make room for agri-food expansion on the Pier 10 site. Moving SBC’s operation to elsewhere on the Port will also reduce the noise levels (primarily generated by a test-pile driver) for nearby residents in the North End.

Construction projects include marine asset improvements and dredging for the Pier 10 finger pier and Wellington Street Slip to accommodate berthing seaway vessels. The second project will be the construction of a covered storage facility to house raw sugar, grains and other dry bulk products, reducing truck trips from offsite locations.

Canadian grain company, Parrish & Heimbecker’s current expansion of its Hamilton milling facility (phase I operations began in 2017) will make P&H the single largest user of Ontario wheat. Theirs was the first flour mill built in Ontario in over 75 years. As one of the busiest exporters on the Port, the new marine infrastructure and berthage space will decrease vessel wait time, and make it easier for P&H to move more grain by ship. “Increasing the ability to receive more vessels and expanding our capacity at Pier 10 is the answer to getting more of our grain products to market faster. With this investment, we can continue to grow both our grain export business, and domestic milling business in partnership with Canadian farmers,” said Bruce MacIntyre, President & C.O.O., Parrish & Heimbecker.

Sucro Sourcing recently completed a granular sugar refinery and crystallization tower, adding to the liquid sugar refinery which has been in place since 2014, and providing a welcome competitor in the Canadian refined sugar market. Moving sugar unloading and storage to Pier 10 will also enable Sucro Sourcing to keep more product at their facility, taking thousands of trucks off of the road and reducing truck traffic on nearby residential streets. “Sucro Sourcing’s Hamilton facility is the first successful sugar production facility built in Canada since 1958, supplying some of the leading multinational food manufacturers in Canada, as part of the southern Ontario food processing supply chain,” said Jonathan Taylor, CEO & Founding Owner of Sucro Sourcing LLC.

The Pier 10 agri-food cluster initiative is supported by a $5.5 million investment from the National Trade Corridors Fund. On top of this investment, the port and the companies located at Pier 10 have already invested close to $150 million in new export, milling and refining capacity, and facilities continue to expand.

Max Aicher North America and HOPA Ports join forces to bring new investment to Hamilton’s working waterfront

In June of 2020, HOPA Ports and Max Aicher North America (MANA) announced an agreement to cooperate on the future development of a portion of MANA’s Hamilton harbourfront property. In the course of modernizing its existing Hamilton facility, MANA confirmed a 60-acre portion of its site as surplus to its operational needs. The site is located in the northeast corner of Pier 18, within Hamilton’s Bayfront industrial area, and is served by marine, rail and road transportation. The property includes open space for outdoor storage, and more than eight acres of warehouse buildings.

“As we solidify our position in North America, this alliance helps us make full use of our assets,” said MANA CEO, Walter Sommerer. “The move is part of a long-term commitment to our Hamilton operation.”

While MANA retains ownership of the property, HOPA Ports has taken on active management of the site. “This land can be put to great use to attract economic activity and employment to Hamilton,” said Ian Hamilton, President & CEO of HOPA Ports. “We have a great deal of pent-up demand from modern industrial users who are looking for access to multiple modes of transportation, within the Greater Toronto-Hamilton market.”

HOPA Ports has an established track record of developing marine-served industrial spaces. It is a segment of the commercial-industrial real estate market where HOPA Ports offers a distinct skill-set. Over the past 10 years, HOPA Ports has attracted more than $350 million in investment in the ports of Hamilton and Oshawa.

The MANA property is highly valuable for its location and multimodal connections, allowing it to support a wide range of potential customers and industries. Anticipated uses include flexible storage of steel and manufacturing components, warehousing and transloading of materials for the construction and manufacturing sectors, value-add processing, and other logistics uses essential to a responsive industrial supply chain.

This alliance complements MANA’s existing Hamilton operations, where the company produces specialized, high-strength reinforcement steel used in high-rise, commercial and industrial projects across North America. In 2019, the company doubled the volume of output from the previous year, and expects to further increase production in the coming years, with new products for the automotive industry. MANA was recently named one of Hamilton’s 40 fastest-growing companies.

HOPA Ports and McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (MITL) launch new data analytics unit to create supply chain solutions

Fluid Intelligence is a data analysis resource that creates insight and solutions in goods movement.

A partnership between HOPA Ports and the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (MITL), Fluid Intelligence helps businesses and policymakers make better supply chain, transportation and infrastructure planning decisions.

Using data from all modes to solve problems and create new opportunities, Fluid Intelligence can help find insights and connections to solve goods movement challenges for private and public sector clients.

Fluid Intelligence has access to an extensive range of data sets, from all modes of transportation and Canadian and international sources, which can be merged with organizations’ own data to provide specific, actionable analysis of a supply chain or transportation network.

Example projects include:

• Increasing efficiency for business logistics: Taking advantage of empty container movements around southern Ontario to reduce the number of truck movements, saving costs while reducing congestion and GHG emissions.
• Improving transportation system performance: Optimizing truck movements around freight hubs to reduce impacts on neighboring communities.
• Creating a use case for new systems: Using information about regional cargo movements to create short sea shipping alternatives to surface transportation.
• Evaluating business transportation options: Helping companies to make the best modal choice for their business
• Harbour West Marina – supporting Hamilton tourism & small business
• HOPA Ports manages the Harbour West Marina, one of the largest recreational marinas on Hamilton Harbour, as part of an operating agreement with the City of Hamilton.

“Back in the spring of 2020, due to the pandemic, we weren’t even sure we were going to have a season,” said Kyle Auton, Marina Manager at Harbour West. “As spring turned to summer, it became clear that boating was one activity that could be done safely, and consumer interest in recreational boating surged.” With more people staying close to home for the summer, Canadian recreational boat manufacturers and retailers reported increases in sales of 30% to 40% over pre-pandemic levels.

Kyle and his team worked to get customers’ boats launched, and kicked off a summer program intended to help create that vacation feeling. “Of course people can’t gather together, so we tried to bring the fun to them instead. We hired a local musician and toured him on a boat around the marina slips to create a relaxing, festive vibe on Friday nights.” Harbour West partnered with local restaurant Aberdeen Tavern to develop a special delivery meal package designed to be enjoyed on a summer evening on the water.

Looking ahead to 2021, Harbour West is launching a new marketing campaign encouraging boaters to ‘Go West’ to discover Hamilton. “We’re encouraging Ontario staycationers to visit Hamilton by water this summer, said Auton. “Come for a few days or the weekend. We have a slip for you at Harbour West. From there you can rent a bike, explore the local restaurant scene, or visit local attractions. This year, we’re hoping to offer a wine tasting and other special surprises to ensure this summer is safe of course, but a fun and relaxing escape as well.”