Shipping

Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, is situated on one of the world's largest natural harbours. It's second in size to Sydney Harbour. The deep-water harbour is ice-free all year. This is the busiest port on the eastern coast — it has Canada's largest naval base and two modern container terminals that can accommodate the largest container ships.

Today, Halifax is a shipping crossroads, with ships arriving and departing from Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Australia.

Halifax has had a history of association with navies and the shipping trade since the first British settlement in 1749.

• It's had a naval dockyard since 1758.
• It was a base for military and naval operations during the American War of Independence.
• Between 1785 and 1792 a whaling company operated out of nearby Dartmouth.
• The first steamship to cross the Atlantic left from Halifax in 1837.
• The city was a centre of naval operations during the First World War, and again during the Second World War.

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