In a deal first announced early in 2025, a new cold-storage facility is now open for business in the port of Saint John.

The operation supports approximately 22,000 pallet positions and is owned by Atlanta-based Americold Realty Trust (COLD-N). It was originally announced as a 190,000-square-foot property.

“The operational launch at Port Saint John demonstrates what we can achieve by aligning cold storage, port and rail capabilities in a single location,” Rob Chambers, chief executive officer at Americold said in a press release announcing the opening.

“Working alongside (partners) DP World and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), we are enabling more coordinated movement of temperature-sensitive products between Canada and global markets, with a focus on improving flow, reliability and consistency for our customers.”

Only cold-storage facility in Eastern Canada

The facility is located next to DP World’s Saint John terminal and connected to CPKC’s rail network, and it will enable the shipping of temperature-sensitive goods between vessel, rail and truck, the release said. As many 100 new jobs are expected to created in Saint John.

The facility was expected to cost between $75 and $80 million. The operation is the only temperature-controlled storage solution in Eastern Canada directly connected to a port without drayage, according to Americold.

“The operational launch of the Americold facility at Port Saint John represents a major step forward in building a fully integrated cold-chain ecosystem on Canada’s East Coast. By combining terminal operations, inland rail connectivity and advanced temperature-controlled storage, we are enabling our customers to move perishable goods more efficiently, reliably and sustainably to global markets,” Doug Smith, chief executive officer of DP World in Canada, said in the same release.

Markets for the storage facility will be Central and Eastern Canada, as well as international markets in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, Americold previously said to RENX in an email exchange.

According to the release, the facility will provide:

• Integrated cold-chain infrastructure with connectivity between marine terminal, on-dock rail and cold storage;
• Expanded capacity for perishables to supports a growing demand for protein, seafood and frozen-food exports from Canada; and
• Improved supply chain reliability that promises to reduce complexity and wait times, and maintain product integrity with minimal spoilage.
• Americold is a leader in temperature-controlled logistics and real estate, with a more than 120-year history.

The firm operates more than 220 facilities across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America, representing approximately 1.4 billion refrigerated cubic feet, according to Americold.

Port Saint John has experienced steady growth in both investment and container traffic over the past year. Container volumes increased by 29.4 per cent between 2024 and 2025 and 175 per cent over the past five years.

In December 2025, Port Saint John completed a $247M West Side Modernization project which added an additional berth, a deepened and widened channel and a significantly increased laydown area.