Prince Rupert Harbour
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Prince Rupert Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Pacific Coast of British Columbia, Canada. The city of Prince Rupert is located on its eastern shore.
Located at 54ºN, approximately 40 km south of the International Boundary between Alaska and British Columbia, Prince Rupert Harbour is situated on the Great Circle Route between ports in northeastern Asia and western North America and is the first inbound and last outbound port connected to the North American railway network.
Prince Rupert has the deepest, ice-free harbour in North America.
[edit] Harbour Description
Much of the harbour is formed by the shelter provided by Digby Island, which lies windward of the city and contains the Prince Rupert Airport. The city is located on Kaien Island and the harbour also includes Tuck Inlet, Morse Basin, Wainwright Basin, and Porpoise Harbour, as well as part of the waters of Chatham Sound which takes in Ridley Island.
[edit] Port Facilities
The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is a federally-appointed agency which administers and operates various port properties on the harbour. Previously run by the National Harbours Board and subsequently the Prince Rupert Port Corporation, the PRPA is now a locally-run organization.
PRPA port facilities include:
- Atlin Terminal
- Northlands Terminal
- Lightening Dock
- Ocean Dock
- Westview Dock
- Fairview Terminal
- Prince Rupert Grain
- Ridley Terminals
- Sulphur Corporation
All PRPA facilities are serviced by CN Rail.
The Canadian Coast Guard maintains CCG Base Seal Cove on Prince Rupert Harbour where vessels are homeported for search and rescue and maintenance of aids to navigation throughout the north coast. CCG also bases helicopters at Prince Rupert for servicing remote locations with aids to navigation, as well as operating a Marine Communications Centre, covering a large Vessel Traffic Services zone from Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the International Boundary north of Prince Rupert.
Both BC Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway operate ferries which call at Prince Rupert, with destinations in the Alaska Panhandle, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and isolated communities along the central coast to the south.
