The Quebec Port Authority is responsible for promoting and developing maritime trade in the Port of Quebec and for supporting the local, provincial, and national economies while also producing profits and minimizing environmental impacts. The Quebec Port Authority is an independent federal agency with a board of seven directors representing the province, port users, and the municipality. In 2008, the Quebec Port Authority proudly celebrated its 150th Anniversary of its incorporation. The Port of Quebec supports some 6500 jobs in the city and generates about $350 million per year to the economy.

In 2008, the Port of Quebec welcomed a total of 84 vessels carrying record 27.2 million tons of merchandise and 17.7 thousand cruise passengers. This record high was the sixth year in a row of increases in cargo volume, making the Port of Quebec the second busiest port in Canada, behind only Metro Vancouver. The 84 vessels included 19 ships from 13 different cruise lines. Solid bulk cargoes through the Port of Quebec included 3.1 million tons of grain, feed grain, and industrial and agricultural fertilizers. The Port of Quebec handled liquid bulk cargoes of 14.4 million tons. The Port of Quebec also handled 83 thousand tons in general merchandise, almost all of which was destined for the Raglan and Voice Bay mines. General merchandise also included exports of steel products.

The Quebec Metal Recycle Terminal in the Port of Quebec's Beauport Sector is operated by St. Lawrence Stevedoring. Operating for over 20 years, the terminal receives and stores ferrous scrap metal. A new terminal has been added for the shipment of scrap metal by the Canadian American Iron & Metal company that added over 100 thousand tons of capacity to the Quebec Metal Recycling Terminal.

The Port of Quebec's Estuaire Sector contains a grain terminal and a terminal for cement imports. Beton Provincial operates the only cement import terminal on the St. Lawrence. The wharf can accommodate Panamax vessels with capacity for up to 75 thousand tons. The terminal has road and rail connections for easy transfer of cargoes, and Beton Provincial has mixing facilities for added service.

The Grain Terminal in the Port of Quebec's Estuaire Sector has been operated by Bunge of Canada for over 40 years. The terminal can load up to five thousand tons per hour and can store over 225 thousand metric tons of grain, complemented by convenient rail access. The Grain Terminal is the only terminal east of Thunder Bay that operates a grain-winnowing system, and it is a busy supplier of feed grain to agricultural producers and co-operatives in the eastern and central areas of Quebec province.

Operating for over ten years, the Port of Quebec's Anse au Foulon Sector handles large volumes of dry cargoes serving the Great Lakes market. Huge amounts of sugar pass through the Port of Quebec bound for the largest sugar refinery in Ontario. Wharves 105 and 106 are dedicated to handling sugar cargoes.

The Anse au Foulon Sector 's MidAtlantic Minerals Terminal opened in the Port of Quebec in 1999, specializing in processing and storing limestone and dolomite. Operating in the Port of Quebec for 27 years, the Road-Salt Terminal is a distribution for many area municipalities and contractors over the winter. Self-unloading vessels supply the salt, and trucks distribute it to the customers.

Coop Federee in the Port of Quebec's Anse au Foulon Sector has operated facilities with capacity to store 30 thousand metric tons for agricultural and industrial fertilizers in the Port of Quebecsince 1991. The terminal handles imports and exports of urea, phosphate, and potassium that are handled by ocean-going vessels and by railroad. Trucks are used to distribute the products from the Port of Quebec to customers. Fertilizers are one the Port of Quebec's fastest growing cargo-handling areas.

The Port of Quebec's Anse au Foulon Sector also contains the Sillery Distribution Centre, a grain terminal that specializes in feed grains that include barley, wheat, canola, soya, and corn. This fully-intermodal Port of Quebec terminal has capacity to store 75 thousand tons of cargo. Supplying many farmers and co-operatives in southern and eastern Quebec province, the terminal offers direct rail access to the Canadian National and Quebec Gatineau Railways.

The Port of Quebec's North Shore Sector is home to the Canadian Coast Guard and the Societe des traversiers du Quebec. The Laurentian base of the Canadian Coast Guard in Quebec City was established in 1980. The Coast Guard provides icebreaker services for the Port of Quebec during the winter along the St. Lawrence. It also offers storage space and maintenance and repair facilities for buoys and other port equipment. The Coast Guard also participates in dredging the shipping channel, patrolling navigable waters, conducting rescue operations, and electronic navigation.

The Societe des traversiers du Quebec, a subsidiary of the Quebec Department of Transportation, provides for the efficient transportation of freight and passengers, including tourists, between the banks of the St. Lawrence and between the Port of Quebec and the city of Levis.

The South Shore Sector in the Port of Quebec contains the Davie Quebec Naval Dockyard and the deep-water wharf serving the Jean-Gaulin Refinery in Levis. The Port of Quebec's dockyard has been an important part of the city for some 200 years. In earlier times, it was used for building steam and sailing ships. More recently, the dockyard focuses on building oil tankers, trawlers, cargo and naval vessels, and drilling rigs. The high-tech facilities and professional workforce at the Port of Quebec shipyard are important support for the deep-sea drilling, marine, and heavy industries as well as for Canada's national defense. The Davie Quebec is the biggest shipyard in eastern Canada.

The Port of Quebec deep-water wharf supporting the Jean-Gaulin Refinery in Levis can accommodate tankers with capacity to carry up to one million barrels of crude oil. The Jean-Gaulin Refinery is one of the biggest in Canada, refining about 42 thousand cubic meters of crude oil per day. The refineries owner, Ultramar Ltd., also conducts research to produce low-sulfur gasoline and diesel fuel.

The Port of Quebec's Cruise Terminal at Pointe-a-Carcy opened in 2002 to offer outstanding service to cruise liners and passengers. Wharves 19, 21, and 22 are dedicated to the Cruise Terminal and passengers, and the port can serve several cruise ships simultaneously. The Cruise Terminal also has space available for special functions that include conferences, exhibits, and other public activities. The Espaces Dalhousie, a division of the Quebec Port Authority, provides services supporting these special functions.

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