Mortier Bay Marine Terminal Project

Project Description

Mortier Bay Marine Terminal Ltd. is planning to construct and operate the Mortier Bay Marine Terminal (MBMT; the "Project"), a multi-purpose marine terminal that will support regional marine transportation and economic development. The Project will be located on the northern shore of Mortier Bay, near Marystown, NL.

MBMT's proposed marine infrastructure will consist of a marginal wharf complex that can be built through a basic sheet pile and infill design. The marine terminal will be designed as a versatile, multipurpose facility, capable of supporting a range of logistics activities—including the loading/offloading of large modules, components, equipment, and containers.

Key marine terminal facilities and activities planned for the MBMT include:

  • Shore-based industrial access roads.
  • Site security and access control facilities to ensure compliance with Marine Transportation Security Regulations (MTSR/ISPS).
  • A marginal wharf-type structure consisting of sheet pile and infill construction, with a total area of approximately 3 ha, quay length of 225 m, minimum water depth of 15 m at the quay face.
  • Quay face designed to accommodate <25,000 DWT vessels.
  • Sufficient laydown area to fully discharge the large cargo vessels, with surface strength suitable for the discharge of heavy cargo and placement/operation of large shore based cranes.
  • Receiving and administrative facility.
  • Site services, including electrical & water supply, marine facility fire water supply, flood lighting, shore power for ships, offices, workshops, security, etc.
  • Loading and laydown areas.
  • "Green port" facility, incorporating environmentally sustainable design elements such as spill containment systems for bulk fuel delivery, dedicated infrastructure for bilge waste removal by truck, and shore power connections that allow vessels to utilize clean electricity while docked—eliminating the need for onboard generators and significantly reducing site emissions.

The design-build construction activities associated with the Project encompass a broad range of potential and known activities. The general sequence of construction of the project, as it relates to work below the ordinary high-water mark, is anticipated to be:

  • marine based geotechnical studies within the subject water lot;
  • seabed preparation;
  • marginal wharf-type structure development, consisting of sheet pile and infilling;
  • form works/platform construction;
  • site grading; and
  • construction of surface facilities.

 

Operations

MBMT will be responsible for managing and overseeing all marine terminal operations including cargo logistics and handling, loading/offloading activities. MBMT would also manage all support services for the facility, including vessel scheduling, line handling, tug services and emergency response.

 

Identified facility uses:

  • Cargo Services – combination of containerized, bulk / break bulk and roll on roll off (RoRo) deliveries for a variety of users (e.g. local businesses, construction companies, industrial projects, mining operations, etc). Initially these will be periodic on demand shipments but could become regularly scheduled stops over time.
  • Re-Fueling Services – road tankers will be used to offer re-fueling services to a variety of commercial and government vessels (i.e. Coast Guard, Canadian Navy). This service does not require onsite fuel storage, as road tankers will simply be dispatched on an as needed basis.
  • Dockage Services – MBMT's berths will be available to vessels looking for temporary mooring. This could include regular / scheduled traffic (e.g. Exploration Cruises / Cruise NL, research vessels, Coast Guard / Navy patrol vessels), or unscheduled periodic traffic (e.g. rerouted vessels, safe harbour during inclement weather, minor maintenance calls, or port of safe refuge).

More

Latest update

May 7, 2026 – The federal authorities intend to make a determination regarding whether carrying out of the Mortier Bay Marine Terminal Project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. To help inform this determination, the federal authorities are inviting public comments in respect to that determination for 30 days following the posting of this notice.

Participate

Key documents

Key documents
Document number Document title File Date
1 Public Notice - Mortier Bay Marine Terminal Project PDF (149 KB) May 7, 2026

Contacts

Transport Canada
Melissa Ginn, Regional Environmental Advisor
10 Barter's Hill
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1C 6M1
Telephone: 709-733-2637 or 1-888-675-6863
Email: melissa.ginn@tc.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Mortier Bay Marine Terminal (Newfoundland and Labrador)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Ports and Harbours

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2026-05-07

  • Proponent

    Mortier Bay Marine Terminal (MBMT) Ltd.

  • Authorities

    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
    • Transport Canada

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    90452

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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