The Vancouver-based miner has agreed to continue transporting no less than 16Mtpa of coal via Westshore facilities for an additional five years at fixed rates not specified by the company.

Westshore Terminals is Canada’s largest and busiest coal mover and owns the Roberts Bank terminal in Port Metro Vancouver, by far the country’s highest volume coal export facility.

“This agreement underscores the importance of the long-term Teck-Westshore relationship and marks another important and positive step between the two organizations,” Westshore Terminals Limited Partnership general manager Denis Horgan said.

Teck claims status as the world’s second-largest exporter of seaborne metallurgical coal and operates five mines in British Colombia and Alberta.

Last week the miner appointed two vice-presidents to focus on exploration and external growth opportunities.

Company veterans Alex Christopher and Colin Joudrie advanced to the posts of exploration VP and business development VP, respectively.

Although Teck’s coal production was down 700,000 tonnes year on year to 5.7Mt last quarter, the company is still planning to increase output.

The company’s coal growth plans include the reopening of the Quintette mine in northeast British Columbia, increasing production capacity at Line Creek in southeast BC and an expansion of the Neptune bulk terminal’s throughput capacity from 9Mt to 15Mt.