Zone 02 · Mid-Island

Duke Point is in Nanaimo. So are we.

Kattz Logistics is based in Nanaimo and coordinates commercial freight across the Mid-Island, to Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Port Alberni, from the Duke Point terminal.

Duke Point, on the south edge of Nanaimo, is where the commercial barges from Tilbury and Surrey land, and Seaspan's barge terminal there serves the Mid, North and South Island. It is the reason Kattz is based in Nanaimo. Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Parksville and Qualicum Beach are all within about 60 km of the terminal; Port Alberni, over Highway 4, is about 100 km.

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The request opens with the Mid-Island as the destination.

Mid-Island, shaded, with the way in from Duke Point. The ringed dot is Kattz, in Nanaimo. Zone lines are approximate: they group the places we deliver to, not municipal boundaries. Coastline: Natural Earth.

The way in

How freight reaches the Mid-Island

By commercial barge from Tilbury or Surrey to Duke Point, then a short run on the Duke Point Highway, part of Highway 19, to Highway 1 and the Island Highway. Containers cross the same way: DP World's container terminal at Duke Point is not operating at present.

Source: Seaspan Ferries; BC MoTI / HDR (2022), Table 3; BC Government (Duke Point Highway, 2026).

01Port pickupOne of the five Vancouver-area port facilities, inside the terminal's reservation window.
02The crossingThe commercial barge from Tilbury (3–5 sailings a day) or Surrey (1–3 a day) to Duke Point, in the Province's 2022 count. The trailer crosses without a tractor.
03Duke PointSeaspan's barge terminal off the Duke Point Highway, two working berths and a layover berth, about 15 km from downtown Nanaimo. A Kattz tractor meets the trailer.
04The roadHighway 1 south to Ladysmith; Highway 19 north to Parksville and Qualicum Beach; Highway 4 west past Cameron Lake to Port Alberni.
05ReceiverDelivered to the appointment; the equipment goes back on a return sailing.

Road distances from Duke Point

Road distances from Duke Point
Community	From Duke Point
Nanaimo	15 km
Ladysmith	20 km
Parksville	50 km
Qualicum Beach	60 km
Port Alberni	100 km

Road distances: OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors), terminal to town centre, computed 2026-10-05 and rounded to the nearest 5 km. A truck's route can differ.

What is different about Mid-Island deliveries

The terminal is local

Seaspan's Duke Point terminal has two working berths and a layover berth and serves the Mid, North and South Island. For a receiver in Nanaimo or Ladysmith the trailer lands close: about 15 km from downtown Nanaimo and 20 km from Ladysmith.

Source: Seaspan Ferries terminals page; OSRM on OpenStreetMap.

Containers cross by barge

DP World's container terminal at Duke Point is not operating at present, and no reopening date has been announced. Containers for the Mid-Island are picked up at the Vancouver-area port facilities and cross on the commercial barge.

Source: Kattz Logistics operations, October 2026.

One highway to Port Alberni

Highway 4 past Cameron Lake is the highway to Port Alberni. In June 2023 a wildfire on the Cameron Bluffs closed it completely for 17 days; the forest-road detour added about four hours, with four piloted convoys a day for commercial vehicles from June 11, and lane restrictions lasted until August 31. Planned daytime closures have followed since.

Source: BC Government news releases, June 6 to August 31, 2023, and June and December 2025.

Big loads cross Cameron Lake at night

Between Cathedral Grove and Koen Road, BC's general permit conditions keep Category B and C oversize loads (longer than 27.5 m or wider than 3.2 m) off the highway from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and allow no load wider than 3.2 m at all. A long load for Port Alberni is a night move, planned as one.

Source: BC CVSE1000 general permit conditions (April 2026).

Tall timber-framed crates braced upright against the wall of a shipping container, with bundles wrapped in blue plastic on the floor beside them — 18 Feb 2025 · 08:16Crates braced upright, bundles on the floor.

What we handle on the Mid-Island

How we work, wherever the receiver is

Built around you.
We start with how the shipment needs to arrive.
Early is on time.
Receiving appointments are not suggestions.
Find the practical way.
When freight gets complicated, experience takes over.
Watch the total cost.
We look for smarter ways to move freight, not another line item.

Why Kattz

FAQ

Mid-Island freight, answered

How far is Duke Point from Nanaimo?

About 15 km by road from downtown Nanaimo, on the Duke Point Highway, part of Highway 19. Seaspan's barge terminal and BC Ferries' Duke Point terminal are both there, as is DP World's container terminal, which is not operating at present.

What happens to Port Alberni deliveries when Highway 4 closes?

They wait or go the long way round. When a wildfire closed the Cameron Bluffs section in June 2023, the detour ran on forest and industrial roads through Bamfield and Lake Cowichan and added about four hours; from June 11, four piloted convoys a day ran on it for commercial vehicles. Planned closures are announced ahead of time.

Can you deliver a container to Parksville or Qualicum Beach?

Yes. Both are on Highway 19, about 50 and 60 km by road from Duke Point. A container the receiver cannot take on its chassis can be transloaded first.

Other Island zones

How freight gets to Vancouver Island, and what the crossing costs