Company News

The Operations team at Neptune is busy!

For 362 days a year, people work 24/7, three shifts per day making sure the terminal runs smoothly. The Operations team organizes and oversees the safe unloading of trains, loading of ships, and movement of bulk cargo (potash and steelmaking coal). The staff comprises about 20 people led by Dave Foy, Operations Manager, and JT Sidhu, Assistant Operations Manager, working closely with over 40 unionized operations forepersons and longshore workers.

“We have seen tremendous growth at Neptune with the new steelmaking coal-handling equipment (shiploader, tandem dumper and stacker/reclaimer) that was commissioned in 2021,” says Dave.

“We have gone from an average of eight million tonnes of steelmaking coal a year to a throughput capacity of 22 million tonnes, so it has been an exciting time. We anticipate more improvements with planned potash system upgrades which ensures no two days are alike - we’re learning and getting better every day.”

“We take a lot of pride in handling Canadian resources for our shareholders - Elk Valley Resources (EVR) and Canpotex - and aim to be their terminal of choice,” confirms Dave. The Operations team also supports environmental systems including automated spray poles that are connected to a weather station to prevent dust from the steelmaking coal piles, and a state-of-the-art water truck that can reach any location on our 72 acres. “When it comes to dust my team knows it is mission critical; if there are any issues everything shuts down and it’s all hands-on deck!”