In 1967, the Port of Montreal handled its first container. In 1968, it inaugurated the first Canadian container terminal, and Manchester Liners Ltd launched a weekly container transport service to the United Kingdom.

In 1967, the Port of Montreal handled more than 11,300TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) containers for a single shipping line. In 2016, the Port handled 1,447,566 TEUs for six shipping lines. In the past fifty years, nearly 35 million TEUs have transited through Montreal’s port facilities.

Today, the Port of Montreal is the only container port on the St. Lawrence River and the largest port in Eastern Canada. It has five container terminals. Nine regular services operated by global leaders in marine shipping connect Montreal to over 140 countries. Goods such as food products, fresh produce, electronic equipment and forestry products that are transported by container through Montreal mainly originate from, or are destined to, Northern Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean.

“In this year of festivities for Montreal and Canada, I am pleased to celebrate the 50 years of containerization that forged our history. Containers are literally in our DNA at the Port of Montreal. It’s what sets us apart and it’s our strength, right on par with the great diversity of cargo that we handle.Like a magnet, the Port of Montreal attracts companies and services that benefit from its presence, and that’s why the logistics industry is so important in Greater Montreal, and I would like to thank all the workers at the Port, the shipping lines, the supply chain stakeholders and all levels of government for their contribution to our success.”

“To address growth in the container market, we inaugurated the new Viau terminal in 2016 and we are working on our project for a new container terminal at Contrecœur, ensuring the future of container handling for Montreal and the whole of Quebec,” said Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the MPA.

“Peter’s contributions to SCPA during his long career here, and particularly on our senior management team, are too numerous to name,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. “His considerable knowledge, competence, integrity and logical thinking have been a great asset. He has been an indispensable resource for me personally in my seven years at the Port, and I speak for many when I say that I admire his substantial accomplishments as the head of our finance and administration departments.”

Hughes is a 34-year veteran of SCPA. Promoted to CFO in 1996 and Senior Vice President in 2010, Hughes is responsible for all financial, procurement, risk management, real estate and administrative functions of the Port. He will continue to work for SCPA in a project-based consulting capacity, focusing on SCPA’s new main office construction, the sale of non-port-operated real estate, completion of the FY2017 financials and general support for the new CFO.

“Hughes notified me last October of his plans to retire, enabling the Port to prepare for this transition appropriately and find the best fit for the position,” Newsome said.

SCPA selected Stan Van Ostran, an attorney and CPA with 35 years of progressive finance experience, to join the Port on May 1. In his previous position as VP and CFO for MNAA, Van Ostran managed all fiscal activities of a $120 million budget and directed more than $1.5 billion of bond issues. He also has substantial experience with the oversight of procurement programs with large annual spends and risk management, and served as the comptroller for the Oklahoma Lottery Commission for three years prior to MNAA. Preceding to the Lottery Commission, he oversaw the finance and information technology functions of the Oklahoma Department of Central Services. Van Ostran will officially assume the SVP/CFO role on July 1, the beginning of the 2018 fiscal year.

“I’m excited to welcome Stan Van Ostran to our senior management team,” Newsome said. “He is an experienced CFO, and his expertise in the financial management role makes him a valuable addition to the Port. The financial health of our organization is critical to meeting the demands of our capital plan and ensuring the Port remains competitive for years to come.”