Fairview Small Craft Harbour is a DFO-owned, Port Edward Harbour Authority-operated fishing harbour on the south shore of Prince Rupert inner harbour, tucked between the BC/Alaska ferry terminal and the Fairview Container Terminal. PEHA rates it their most protected harbour, with timber-decked floats accommodating large commercial vessels and visiting cruisers.
Fairview Small Craft Harbour sits at the foot of Gore Road on the west side of Kaien Island, occupying a strip of industrial waterfront between the BC Ferries/Alaska Marine Highway terminal to the north and the DP World Fairview Container Terminal to the south. The Canadian Coast Guard station is immediately adjacent, and Saam Towage tugs share the floats — this is a working harbour in every sense.
The facility is owned by Fisheries and Oceans Canada under the Small Craft Harbours program and leased to the Port Edward Harbour Authority (PEHA), a not-for-profit that also manages Rushbrook, Cowbay, and Porpoise Harbour in the Prince Rupert area. Fairview is split into two sections: North Fairview (#1) at 873 metres of lit, timber-decked floats, and South Fairview (#2) at roughly 766 metres — roughly 1,640 metres of alongside moorage in total. PEHA describes open capacity of approximately 250 vessels, though the primary clientele is commercial fishing boats: crabbers, seiners, draggers, and trollers, along with Coast Guard and pilotage vessels.
For recreational boaters, Fairview is a practical stopover rather than a destination marina. Shore power and fresh water are confirmed available at the North Fairview berths; specific amperage has not been published (verify with PEHA). No fuel dock for small craft has been identified at the floats — the Wolverine Terminals bunker facility opened in 2025 at Fairview Container Terminal serves commercial cargo vessels only. Nearest retail marine fuel for recreational boats is at Cow Bay.
PEHA headquarters office is at Porpoise Harbour (200 Bayview Drive, Port Edward) but the harbour office at North Fairview wharf is staffed Monday to Friday year-round, with extended seven-day coverage in June, July, and August. Washrooms, showers, and laundry are available at the top of the ramp beside the Coast Guard Station.
The inner harbour location delivers genuine shelter. PEHA explicitly rates Fairview as their most protected harbour — better than Rushbrook or Cowbay — shielded from open Pacific swell by Kaien Island terrain and the Tsimshian Peninsula to the west. Wind is rarely the challenge here; the main consideration for small craft is vessel traffic. Alaska Marine Highway and BC Ferries ships transit past the floats regularly, and Port of Prince Rupert regulations require vessels to maintain no-wake speeds within 600 yards of shore in the Fairview area. Surge from ferry and container ship movements is a real factor when securing lines.
Prince Rupert itself — groceries, chandlery, fuel, restaurants, and ferry connections — is accessible from Fairview on foot or by vehicle in minutes. The harbour is named for the Fairview district rather than the container terminal; recreational boaters have used these floats as a staging point for Alaska passages and Haida Gwaii crossings for decades.
Fuel and shore power available at Fairview Small Craft Harbour.
Laundry, groceries, a patch of grass for the dog, the nearest decent meal — here's what's within reach of Fairview Small Craft Harbour. Tap any pin on the map for the details.
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If Fairview Small Craft Harbour is full or you are weighing options, here is the closest moorage — sorted by distance.
