DP World opens $22 million Salish Sea Gateway for Vancouver–Nanaimo freight

DP World inaugurated its CAD$22 million Salish Sea Gateway on October 22, opening a dedicated short-sea shipping facility intended to connect Vancouver Island with British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. The company says the facility integrates marine transport with road and rail connections, providing a freight route alongside existing truck-and-ferry movements. The opening marks completion of the facility; commercial sailings had begun earlier in 2026.

DP World says weekly sailings between Vancouver and Nanaimo have increased from one to three since the service began. Cargoes listed by the company include forestry products, bottled water, recycled materials, machinery, equipment and retail goods. Depending on cargo weight, a voyage can carry up to 200 empty containers or between 140 and 160 loaded containers. These are stated operating capacities, not actual average loadings or a measure of annual throughput at the new facility.

The gateway includes a mobile harbour crane intended to improve cargo handling and vessel turnaround. It is part of a wider terminal programme: DP World says berth capacity at its Duke Point terminal in Nanaimo is being doubled, with the expansion designed to support annual throughput of about 280,000 twenty-foot equivalent units. That figure concerns the terminal expansion, not a verified annual volume carried by the new short-sea service.

The company describes the new link as an alternative to road and ferry routes for freight moving between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The news release lists potential advantages including reliability, flexibility and lower-emission movement, but it does not provide measured travel-time savings, emissions reductions, freight rates or modal-shift totals. The operational evidence supplied is the increase in weekly sailings and the stated capacity per voyage.

The facility’s opening brought together representatives of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, port authorities, customers and industry partners, according to DP World. The company says the name recognizes Coast Salish Nations. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Nanaimo Port Authority were represented at the inauguration. The release does not describe a new public operating subsidy or a specific contract with any shipper.

The Salish Sea Gateway is positioned as part of DP World’s integrated logistics network. Its role is regional: moving cargo across the Salish Sea, between Vancouver and Nanaimo, while linking to land transport. The announcement does not establish that the service replaces ferries or trucking, and the listed capacity should not be mistaken for realized cargo volume. Service frequency, cargo mix and vessel loading can vary over time.

DP World’s announcement is a company release distributed through GlobeNewswire, and the reported amounts and operational details are attributed to the company. The opening is a dated transport-infrastructure event, distinct from the start of commercial operations earlier in the year. The $22 million is the stated facility investment; the release does not break out public versus private contributions or provide project-level financial returns.