January 31, 2000: The Fraser River Port Authority is pleased to announce a partnership agreement with Fraser River Pile and Dredge. This agreement will ensure the timely and efficient maintenance of vital Fraser River shipping channels over the next ten years and continue an important aspect of flood prevention in the Fraser River Estuary.

As a result of policy revisions, Canadian Coast Guard withdrew from channel maintenance of the Fraser River in 1998. To manage the deep-sea navigation channel, the Fraser River Port Authority chose to explore opportunities to create a private sector based channel maintenance program and consequently sought proposals for a long-term agreement from private dredging contractors.

The resulting agreement with Fraser River Pile and Dredge will ensure the timely maintenance of river design drafts. The sale of dredgeate will help offset some of the program costs.

Fraser River Pile and Dredge, located in New Westminster, is a 100% employee owned company that has been in business since 1911. The company has extensive experience on the Fraser River, including previous channel maintenance contracts. This new ten-year contract, worth $30 million, will generate approximately 40,000 man days of work over the life of the contract.

Shipping and trade-related activities in Fraser River Port contribute more than $1.4 billion towards Canada’s GDP each year. These activities also create a total of 24,000 jobs across the country, more than 6,000 of them in the Lower Mainland. Fraser River Port is administered by the Fraser River Port Authority, a federally mandated agency.

For more information contact:

Raija Orava
Manager, Public Affairs
Fraser River Port Authority
Tel. (604) 524-6655