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NV exports soar on coal boom
Asia demand drives volume up 50 per cent Jane Seyd
jseyd@nsnews.com
WHILE many businesses were still struggling out of the recession this past year, North Vancouver’s Neptune Terminals is steaming out of 2010 with prices for coal and potash — the two main commodities it handles — soaring, and expansion plans underway. have your say at nsnews.com
Over the past year, Neptune has shipped about six million tonnes of coal, as markets in Asia have heated up. “The record for Neptune in the past is 6.5 (million tonnes),” said company president Jim Belsheim. “That was quite a few years ago. We’re shipping good volume.” The volume of coal shipped in 2010 is up about 50 per cent from 2009, when the worldwide economic slump affected NEWS photo Mike Wakefield businesses around the globe. It’s also up slightly from 2008, A freighter takes on cargo at North Vancouver’s Neptune bulk terminals. Renewed demand in Asia has driven up the price of coal and potash, resulting in a massive jump in the volume of both commodities pouring through the facility. before the economic crash. The coal being shipped from Neptune — and most other local terminals — is high-quality metallurgical coal used in steel making. Japan and Korea are major markets, followed by China, where demand is sharply increasing as building booms. employee complied, and the suspect fled, according to police. The Chris Badger, chief operating officer of Port Metro Vancouver, James Weldon event was reported in the North Shore News June 20. said he doesn’t see that slowing anytime soon. For the year ending jweldon@nsnews.com Over the next three months, several similar incidents were October 2010, the volume of coal shipped by the port overall was up NORTH Vancouver RCMP believe they have reported by pharmacies in both North Vancouver and Langley. almost 29 per cent over the volume shipped the previous year. In each case, a man similar in appearance to Molley entered the “The Asian economy is driving it,” said Badger. “The economy caught the man behind a string of Lower Mainland store, allegedly passed the clerk a note claiming he had a gun and is very robust.” pharmacy robberies. Ryan Molley, 31, was taken into custody Dec. 14 after a demanded they give him the drug. He was successful in some Some U.S. coal is even moving through Canadian port terminals for export to Asia, because the U.S. has few coal-handling facilities seven-month investigation involving officers from both the North cases, but in others the pharmacy didn’t have Oxycontin on hand, Vancouver and Langley detachments. He has since been charged according to police. on its west coast, said Badger. Investigators broke the case after a witness wrote down the A $6-million terminal improvement currently underway at with five counts of robbery. On June 8, a man fitting Molley’s description walked into the license plate of a car connected with one of the alleged heists. Neptune is expected to boost the terminal’s coal-handling capacity Save-on-Foods pharmacy at 1250 Marine Drive, allegedly claimed While no weapon was ever brandished or fired, the events to 9.5 million tonnes annually next year. to have a gun and demanded that the clerk hand over a large See Upgrades page 5 quantity of Oxycontin, an addictive prescription pain killer. The See Experience page 5
RCMP nab suspect in pharmacy heists
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