Expanded Oshawa Grain Terminal begins test loads

The improved Port of Oshawa Grain Export Terminal is welcoming its first test shipments this fall. The terminal and associated port infrastructure is currently undergoing a $35+ million expansion and modernization.

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The expansion project is spearheaded by the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) and backed by a $14 million contribution from the Government of Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund.

In a release, HOPA Ports said the newly expanded terminal now offers a total of 20,000 metric tonnes of storage capacity and features a vessel loading rate of up to 12,000 metric tonnes per day, ensuring fast and efficient grain loading.

A new dual truck unloading structure, capable of receiving 700 metric tonnes per hour, will streamline deliveries and minimize delays, HOPA said.  The facility has weather protection, as well as a modern dust control system to meet high environmental standards.

“Making this facility work for regional farmers is our priority; we’ve invested in quality infrastructure, improving the terminal’s efficiency from the front gate right onto the vessel,”  Ian Hamilton, president and CEO, HOPA Ports, said in the release.

Improved Access and Infrastructure

HOPA said the improved facility is addressing past issues that impacted its performance, such as delivery lineups, underutilized silos, and weather-related operational delays. “Accessing and using the site is now easier, saving time and money for farmers.”

Full-scale dredging of the Oshawa Harbour will ensure that vessels can navigate safely and be loaded to capacity, the port authority said.

The terminal was constructed by FWS.

The terminal is expected to provide a much-needed export option for local farmers, while freeing up new capacity at other facilities in the region, to handle Ontario’s growing grain output.

HOPA said the new terminal offers a vital local delivery point for farmers in the GTA-East region, significantly reducing the distance many of the region’s farmers are travelling to deliver their grain. The improvements at the Port Oshawa are expected to remove an estimated 12,000 long-distance heavy truck trips from Ontario highways.

The terminal is a joint venture between HOPA Ports and QSL, a supply chain provider that is involved with operations, stevedoring, marine services, logistics and transport throughout North America and HOPA Ports. As operations ramp up, HOPA said grain handler Parrish & Heimbecker will be managing the first test shipments of soybeans, which commenced in September and will run to the end of October. These soybeans will be used to settle the new bin and fill the existing silo, with plans to load an ocean-going vessel this fall.

Over the coming decades, Ontario’s grain production for export is expected to increase by two million metric tonnes, with at least 300,000 metric tonnes of that  grown within the Port of Oshawa’s catchment area.