FlatironDragados Consortium Wins Marine Package for Roberts Bank Terminal 2
Engineering News-Record reports that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has selected TerraMarine, a consortium led by FlatironDragados Canada, as preferred proponent for the principal marine construction package on the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion.
Market Impact
The July 13 selection moves one of North America’s largest planned port projects into the collaborative development phase of a progressive design-build procurement. The consortium also includes Van Oord Canada, Aecon Constructors and Carlson Construction Group, with Aecon holding a 30% interest.
Planned for Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, the terminal expansion would build a three-berth container facility on roughly 320 acres of reclaimed waterfront land, increasing container capacity at Canada’s largest port by more than 30%. The port authority says the project will unlock more than $100 billion in annual trade capacity and add more than $3 billion annually to Canada’s GDP, with operations targeted to begin in the mid-2030s. “As we advance the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project, selecting a highly qualified construction partner is a major step forward,” said Peter Xotta, president and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, adding that the project “will combine strong Canadian construction expertise with global experience, use Canadian products, and create tens of thousands of jobs.”
Aecon executive vice president and chief operating officer Thomas Clochard said the win expands the company’s port portfolio, which already includes the Port of Montreal Expansion and the completed Kingstown Port Modernization project in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Aecon expects to enter a design and early works agreement in the third quarter of this year, with the full design-build agreement anticipated in the first quarter of 2028.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Marine and civil trades should track the design and early works agreement expected in Q3 2026, followed by the target-price design-build award in Q1 2028, since subcontracting opportunities will follow that sequence.
- Scope includes the marine landmass, wharf structure, berth pocket, causeway widening, tug basin expansion and environmental mitigation/offsetting work, meaning heavy civil, dredging, marine construction and environmental remediation firms all have a lane to bid into.
- Land reclamation is targeted to start in 2028 following financial close and mobilization in late 2027, giving subcontractors roughly 18 months to position for pre-construction and early works packages.
- TerraMarine has committed to working with the port authority, regulators and First Nations on subcontracting opportunities, including for Indigenous-owned businesses, so firms should watch for procurement notices tied to that engagement process.
- Design subconsultants Stantec Consulting, TYPSA and Tetra Tech Canada are already engaged under lead designer Arcadis Professional Services Canada, indicating where engineering and permitting-support subcontracts may originate first.
