This year’s performance at Churchill shows that the port is capable of shipping a million tonnes of grain a year, say port managers.
The Hudson Bay port handled 468,000 tonnes of grain in a season made even shorter than usual by the late harvest.
“Ideally we’d like to get going with a sizable shipping program of old-crop grain in August,” said Ian Luff, manager of country operations for Louis Dreyfus Canada, which operates the port’s grain terminal on behalf of owner Omnitrax.
“But it wasn’t until the new crop came off that we were able to get product to Churchill. Our shipping season really didn’t get started until September.”
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Another problem was that much of the old crop carried over in the Churchill drawing area was feed quality, which was of little interest to overseas buyers.
“We could have sold No. 2 and No. 3 CWRS, but there wasn’t a great quantity there,” said Luff.
When the last vessel loaded with spring wheat and departed for Sudan this week, it brought the year’s total handlings to 353,000 tonnes of wheat and durum, along with 115,000 tonnes of canola and feed peas.
That total of 468,000 tonnes is above the 10-year average of 356,000 tonnes, but still far short of the one million tonnes that Churchill promoters say is a realistic target.
“In the month of September we showed the Canadian Wheat Board, vessel owners and ourselves what we can do when we put our mind to it,” said Luff.
“There is more capacity there, so one million tonnes is achievable.”
CWB chief executive officer Adrian Measner said in a News release
news the marketing agency was pleased with the volumes shipped through the northern port.
“It was a special challenge given that the northerly growing regions, which represent the primary catchment area for shipments from Churchill, were particularly hard hit by the weather,” he said.
Given its location, Churchill is a cost-effective alternative for customers in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe, especially with the recent high ocean freight rates.
The ocean freight advantage for Churchill versus Thunder Bay to Europe averaged about $3-$5 a tonne during the shipping season, hitting a high of about $15 at one point.
Luff said the key to a big season at the port is getting off to a good start and shipping steadily from July to
October.
That could happen next year, he said.
“We have a fairly large crop in the bins out there right now and probably we will be carrying out some of it, so that could help give us an early start in July,” he said.
