REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN -- (Marketwired) -- 10/27/16 -- Viterra Inc. ("Viterra"), today hosted an official grand reopening event at its Pacific Terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The event recognized the successful completion of Viterra's $100 million investment at the terminal, including a new ship loader and other state of the art enhancements. Viterra customers, employees and industry officials gathered to commemorate the company's investment.
"Our goal through this project was to create a highly efficient port terminal in Canada with unprecedented capability for processing a diverse range of commodities," said Kyle Jeworski, Viterra's President and CEO. "Our significant investment, which exceeded $100 million, will enhance our strategic position on the west coast, as well as our ability to connect the production of our farm customers with our destination customers globally."
The enhancements at Pacific Terminal will create the ability to handle in excess of 6 million metric tonnes annually. This is three times the handling capacity it previously had. It also allows for the loading of "post-Panamax" vessels, the largest vessels capable of navigating through the recently expanded Panama Canal.
"This added capacity is basically equivalent to adding two additional port facilities in Vancouver," Jeworski added. "And while this extra capacity is important for our industry, we have also created further efficiencies by improving our current handling and processing procedures."
The majority of the company's focus at Pacific will be on pulse crops, with the upgrades supporting the efficient handling of delicate products. This involves the use of a fully enclosed system with soft handling of products direct to the vessel.
"These upgrades coincide well with work we've been doing in other parts of our asset network, such as our new pulse cleaning facility in Tempest, Alberta, allowing us to capture the increasing demand for pulse and specialty grain products from customers worldwide," said Jeworski.
In addition to the new ship loader, other improvements include the installation of new bulk weighers, upgrades to shipping conveyors and rotary cleaners, and improved electrical and dust control systems.
About Viterra
Viterra is Canada's grain industry leader, supported by the expertise of its people, a superior network of assets, and unrivalled connections to world markets. Headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan, our commitment to agriculture goes back over 100 years, partnering with farmers to market and move their crops to areas of need around the world. Our continued focus on operational excellence throughout North America allows us to efficiently handle, process, distribute and transport grains and oilseeds. We provide further value to our partners through a wide variety of contracting and risk management tools to help them realize the full potential of their crops. For more information on Viterra in North America, please visit www.viterra.com. Viterra is part of the Agricultural Business Segment of Glencore.
Contacts:
Viterra Inc.
Peter Flengeris
(306) 569-4810
peter.flengeris@viterra.com
