8 great reasons to

choose the Port of Sept-Îles

With its world-class port facilities, Sept-Îles provides the perfect conditions to support large-scale industrial projects in the primary and secondary sectors. But don’t just take our word for it—we’ve put together a shortlist of 8 clear advantages to using the Port of Sept-Îles to import, export and move your cargo.

1.

Strategic location on the St. Lawrence Seaway

The Port of Sept-Îles enjoys a central location on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, along the bustling Seaway connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. We provide access to Northeastern and Midwestern U.S. Markets to the west and European and Asian markets to the east. Every year more than 30 million tonnes of cargo are routed through our facilities to points around the globe.

2.

Ideal maritime conditions

The Port of Sept-Îles enjoys highly favourable maritime conditions, which is why our pilotage and navigational assistance costs are significantly lower than at other Canadian ports. Our facilities extend along a 45 km2 circular bay cutting into the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. An archipelago of 7 islands form a scenic natural barrier at the mouth of this large body of water, which affords safe anchorage for ships 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With a depth of 80 metres near the islands and 20 metres at the Multi-user Dock, the bay of Sept Îles can accommodate the industry’s largest bulk carriers, giving us world-class superport status.

3.

North America’s leading mineral port

Not only does the Port of Sept-Îles have a unique geography and topography, it also has the logistics facilities needed to handle solid and liquid bulk commodities like iron ore, alumina, oil and petroleum coke. We can accommodate vessels up to 400,000 tonnes and support an annual volume of about 100 million tonnes of cargo. A 650-kilometre railway connecting Sept-Îles and the town of Schefferville carries natural resources from the Labrador Trough to our port facilities, and our transshipment and ferry-rail centre offers access to the rest of the North American rail network. Close to 40 million tonnes of cargo per year are routed through the Port of Sept-Îles to points around the globe, making it the leading mineral port in North America.

4.

Best-in-class logistics facilities

The Port of Sept-Îles is a huge maritime complex equipped with world-class industrial and multimodal infrastructure. Our facilities include a network of 9 deep-water docks, a rail transshipment centre, a mobile ramp for roll-on/roll-of (ro-ro) ships, storage areas and all the equipment required for transshipping cargo.

Our Multi-user Dock opened in 2015 and includes two 16- and 20-metre-deep berths as well as conveyors with a capacity of 8,000 tonnes per hour. This exceptional infrastructure—as the only port in North America to accommodate Chinamax vessels up to 400,000 tonnes—saves primary industry companies up to 40% on their shipping costs!

5.

A multimodal hub

The Port of Sept-Îles serves the Arnaud and QNS&L railways, 650 km of rail lines running through western Labrador from the bay of Sept Îles to Quebec’s Middle North. Vital to the economic development of the region and the province, these multimodal systems carry more than 30 million tonnes of cargo every year. Our facilities also include a rail transshipment centre at the Relance Terminal, where ferry-rail service connects the 2 shores of the St. Lawrence. Rail access to the rich resources of the Labrador Trough and the rest of the North American railway network gives the region’s businesses a competitive edge on the market.

Route 138, a national highway easily accessible from our facilities, connects Sept-Îles to most North Shore communities and southwestern Quebec’s larger towns and cities. Finally, multiple trucking companies provide warehousing services and deliver goods to and from every major economic centre in North America.

La route nationale 138, aisément accessible depuis nos installations, relie Sept-Îles à la plupart des localités nord-côtières de même qu’aux grandes villes du sud-ouest du Québec. Plusieurs entreprises de transport routier offrent des services d’entreposage et assurent la livraison des marchandises en provenance ou en direction de tous les centres économiques de l’Amérique du Nord.

6.

iIndustrial-Port Zone

The Port of Sept-Îles is centrally located within a 70 km2 strategic Industrial-Port Zone (IP Zone). An IP Zone is an industrial area located near port facilities that has been recognized by the Quebec government as being critical to the province’s economic development.

The Sept-Îles IP Zone offers world-class multimodal infrastructure and more than 4,000 hectares of land open for development in the primary and secondary sectors. Companies operating in the IP Zone, particularly those in the processing sector, gain a host of logistical and financial advantages, including: 

  • Ease and efficiency in bringing in materials and shipping out products to North American and international markets
  • Generous government support for private investment projects
  • A business environment driven by synergies with a local network of SMEs, multinational companies and major research centres
  • The support of a cluster for innovation in mining and metals, Industry 4.0, smart energy and rail transport.

7.

Access to energy resources

About 20% of all hydroelectric power produced in Quebec converges at a substation in Sept-Îles, ensuring a secure supply of power to drive the most ambitious industrial projects in the region. That’s just one of the many factors that led an international consortium to choose Sept-Îles—and its Port!—as the headquarters for the largest aluminum smelter in the Americas.

8.

A local network of expertise and knowledge

The industries that operate in Sept-Îles benefit not only from close cooperation with the Port of Sept-Îles, but also from the support of a local network of some 250 SMEs specializing in key sectors like construction, manufacturing, environment, industrial maintenance and rail transport. Large multinationals in the region, including the Iron Ore Company of Canada and Aluminerie Alouette, have long relied on the industrial prowess of local businesses. Many local SMEs have developed an international reputation by bringing their individual expertise to bear in long-term business relationships with major prime contractors.

If Sept-Îles companies are able to keep up with the industry’s multi-faceted, ever-changing needs, it is due in no small part to synergies they have developed with the business and academic communities. Sept-Îles is home to educational institutions and research centres that provide workforce development opportunities and carry out a range of research and innovation projects to help local industries stay competitive.

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Take a look at the 9 docks that make up the 5 terminals owned and operated by the Port of Sept-Îles. 

The Sept-Îles IP Zone offers multimodal infrastructure and more than 4,000 hectares of land open for forward-looking industrial development projects.