Plans to open the Port of Churchill a month earlier than usual have changed.
Officials with Omnitrax, the U.S. company that owns the northern Manitoba facility, said in early June their goal was to start shipping grain July 1, rather than the usual opening around Aug. 1.
That optimistic outlook was based on receiving ice-breaking service from the Canadian Coast Guard and the acquisition of an ice tugboat.
But things haven’t worked out and the opening has been pushed back to the end of the month.
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Omnitrax officials could not be reached for comment.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Wheat Board, the main user of the port, said there were too many obstacles to opening July 1.
“We’re working hard together to move it up a bit and there’s a chance that will still happen,” said Maureen Fitzhenry. “We’re certainly looking to be out of there by July 27.”
The obstacles included obtaining special ice-class cargo vessels, ice breakers and ice tugs. In addition, grain shippers and insurance companies need to be convinced conditions are safe.
“There’s been a lot of ice this year,” said Fitzhenry. “It’s been a cold winter with below normal temperatures and there is still ice in the bay.”
She said the long-term goal for everyone involved with Churchill is to extend the season by opening earlier and keeping it open later in the fall, but that won’t happen quickly.
Meanwhile, the board expects to ship around 500,000 tonnes of grain through the port this year, up from last year’s 424,000 tonnes.
About 100,000 tonnes of wheat and durum are in storage at the port.
“We’re ready to go as soon as we can,” said Fitzhenry.
In addition to the usual export movement, the board would like to ship grain to the domestic market through the port of Halifax, as it did two years ago.
The problem is Halifax doesn’t have adequate grain unloading facilities, and can only handle self-unloader vessels.
The ports of Churchill and Halifax have signed an agreement to seek federal infrastructure funding to improve grain handling at the Nova Scotia port.
Fitzhenry said the board supports such initiatives, which would allow shipments from Churchill and also provide the marketing agency with another transfer point for export shipments.
