The Québec harbour

Prior to 1805, development of teh Québec harbour was left to individual merchants and industrialists, although the Saint-Charles River was the heart of growth. In 1877, the Québec harbour commission responsible for administering the port undertook the largest expansion project ever, building the Princesse Louise Basin (commonly called Louise Basin), which was completed in 1890. During the first half of the 20th century, the basin was used for cross-docking coal.

The basin's central jetty also served in the handling of grain following the construction of silos. Later, the Morton company built a boat launch at its shipyard, and then the naval dockyard went up soon after World War II broke out. The other bank of the Saint-Charles River had been occupied since 1929 by a pulp and paper mill belonging to the Anglo Pulp company, now known as Daishowa Forest Products Ltd.

Between 1958 and 1978, the Port of Québec Corporation developed the sandbars around Beauport, with the main industrial activities being related to the cross-docking and storage of ore and petroleum products.

As early as the 1980s, the Port of Québec Corporation planned to expand its port facillities to take advantage of the unique location and to keep pace with the growing shipping industry. The Port of Québec is the only inland port in North America that can handle vessels with a draught of up to 15.5 m. In 1984, following a public review of the planned expansion at Beauport sandbars, the federal panel mandated to hold public hearings on the project concluded its report by approving the expansion, although the scope was limited. Due to the difficult economic context, however, the project was delayed until now.