Port authority, Delta port operator to explore partnering on expansion project
Published 5:00 pm Monday, April 27, 2026
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Global Container Terminals have entered into a memorandum of understanding to explore a partnership to advance the port’s Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project.
In a joint media release issued April 21, the port authority and GCT said they will work collaboratively, supported by the federal government’s Major Projects Office, to share information and negotiate in good faith with the goal of achieving a joint development agreement.
Under the one-year memorandum of understanding, the port authority and GCT will work together through a defined process to assess the benefits, synergies and operational expertise that GCT can contribute as RBT2’s potential terminal builder and operator, the release states.
“The MOU reflects a shared commitment to strengthen Canada’s trade infrastructure by exploring opportunities for partnership to deliver RBT2 in a co-ordinated, efficient and commercially viable manner,” the release states.
“As a majority Canadian-owned operator with over a century of experience operating container terminals [including] existing operations at nearby Deltaport, GCT may provide unique benefits to a partnership with [Vancouver Fraser Port Authority].”
The port authority will continue to lead development of the RBT2 landmass and be responsible for permitting and engagement with Indigenous communities, while working exclusively with GCT to explore a development and operating arrangement for the new facility.
“This is an exciting time for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project with procurement underway and a landmass construction partner to be selected this summer,” Vancouver Fraser Port Authority president and CEO Peter Xotta said in a press release, noting that increasing container capacity is essential to Canada’s ability to compete, grow and trade with the world.
“This MOU moves us into planning for the next stage of project delivery with an opportunity for partnership with a Canadian-owned operator with a strong track record of delivery in Port of Vancouver.”
As part of this “co-ordinated approach,” GCT will in turn withdraw its application to the Major Project Office for its separate Deltaport Berth 4 expansion project and instead focus its efforts on advancing RBT2.
“GCT has a long history of driving growth at the Port of Vancouver. Strong, reliable trade infrastructure is fundamental to Canada’s economic strength, and we are excited to work alongside the VFPA to explore how our operational expertise and long-term investment capacity can contribute to the successful delivery of RBT2,” Global Container Terminals president and CEO Eric Waltz said in a press release.
RBT2 will transform more than 1.7 square kilometres of subtidal and tidal waters into a facility capable of handling 260 ships and more than 2.4 million containers a year, increasing the Delta port’s capacity by 50 per cent.
The project also involves widening the existing causeway to accommodate additional rail infrastructure, adding road connections and utilities, and expanding the existing tug-boat basin.
The “transformational, nation-building project” will “catalyze Canada’s trade diversification goals, unlock $100 billion of container trade capacity annually, and create tens of thousands of jobs,” according to a previous port authority press release.
Three construction teams shortlisted to build the landmass were announced in November of last year. They have until May to submit their proposals, and the preferred team will be selected this summer.
RBT2 received federal and provincial approval in 2023 following the conclusion of each governments’ respective environmental assessment processes.
In 2024, the port authority submitted a Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act Authorization application to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with a joint commitment from government and regulators that a decision will come no later than October of 2026.
A port authority press release notes that 27 First Nations have provided consent for RBT2 and will participate in ongoing project development and consultation.
Construction mobilization and early works are expected to occur in 2027, with major land reclamation works expected to begin in 2028. Operations at Roberts Bank Terminal 2 are expected to begin in the mid-2030s.
The project’s website notes additional procurement opportunities will be made available in the coming years, including sub-contracts for the landmass and wharf works, and terminal concession procurement in the late-2020s to select the operator that will build, equip and operate the new terminal.