POTASH exports from North Vancouver's Neptune Terminals continued a skyrocketing climb last year, pushing the overall volume of commodities shipped from the North Vancouver terminal into a record year.
Neptune handled just under 13 million metric tonnes last year - the most ever shipped through the terminal, according to Neptune president Jim Belsheim.
About half of that was potash. Fuelled by a jump in global food prices, exports of potash - a mineral mined in Saskatchewan and used in fertilizers - have gone sky high in the past two years, more than tripling since 2009.
In 2011, a record 7.2 million metric tonnes of potash was shipped through Neptune, a 30 per cent increase over the year before.
The biggest markets for potash are Brazil, China and Indonesia.
Last year the company completed an expansion of its potash-handling facility to improve speed and efficiency and allow faster loading of ships. The project has increased Neptune's annual potashhandling capacity to 11 million tonnes and boosted its workforce.
There are now about 300 people working at Neptune - compared to about 250 before. Belsheim said those ranks could swell again to about 400 once the terminal completes the upgrade of its coal-handling facility, currently underway.
Neptune is in the midst of investing $63.5 million worth of new equipment for its coal-handling facility that will increase the terminal's coal-handling capacity to 12.5 million tonnes annually from its present eight million tonnes.
The biggest component of that upgrade is a new $20-million stacker-reclaimer - the piece of equipment that actually moves the coal - currently being built at Ramsay Machine Works near Victoria. "We made the decision to have it built in British Columbia," said Belsheim. "We believe we'll get a higher quality machine. "It'll be installed faster and easier."
A total of 20.9 tonnes of metallurgical coal and 11.7 million tonnes of thermal coal was shipped last year through all of the port's terminals. Neptune only handles metallurgical coal, which goes to steel mills in Asia. Most of that comes from mines in southeastern British Columbia.
Belsheim said he expects the recordsetting pace to continue this year.
"I'm very optimistic," he said. "Everything we know points to strong markets for both our primary products."
Belsheim said that has direct spinoff benefits for the economy in North Vancouver. In a typical year past, Neptune might spend $3 million buying from local businesses. "This year we will be $20 million or higher," he said.
According to 2011 statistics recently released by Port Metro Vancouver, other significant volumes shipped through port terminals last year included 5.8 million tonnes of wheat, 5.8 million tonnes of canola and 4.6 million tonnes of lumber.
China, Korea and Japan were the biggest export markets.
Canada imported 2.9 million tonnes of household goods and 1.8 million tonnes of construction materials through the port last year, most of that from China.
