Ceremony marks 85 years | Richardson using Port of Churchill more with its other terminals at capacity
Another shipping season is underway at the Port of Churchill.
The northern Manitoba port began loading its first grain ship of the 2014 shipping season on Aug. 5.
The M.V. Ikan Suji, hauling 35,200 tonnes of No. 2 Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat to Mexico finished loading and left the port Aug.8.
The grain was collected by Richardson Pioneer at elevators in Manitoba and northeastern Saskatchewan.
“In a nutshell, we are maximizing our opportunities to ship grain and oilseeds through the Port of Churchill,” said Richardson spokesperson Tracy Shelton.
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“Right now, our wholly owned terminals … two of which are in Thunder Bay and Vancouver, are both operating at capacity so being able to make use of the Port of Churchill … gives us another option and another throughput basically, to ship grain to customers around the world.”
Each year, the Port of Churchill holds an annual First Vessel Ceremony to mark the start of the new shipping season.
This year’s ceremony, marking the port’s 85th anniversary, was hosted by Saw Din Maung, the captain of the M.V. Ikan Suji and attracted more than 50 people.
Richardson was the port’s largest grain shipper in 2013.
The Winnipeg-based grain handling company anticipates a strong shipping season at Churchill in 2014, although Shelton declined to estimate the size of the company’s program.
The majority of grain shipped through the port by Richardson is destined for Latin America, Central America and Europe, Shelton said.
After the Ikan Suji, two more ships were in line to be loaded with canola, also destined for Richardson customers in Mexico.
Merv Tweed, president of OmniTrax Canada, the company that owns the port, said Churchill expects another busy season in 2014.
Earlier this year, Tweed said Richardson’s grain and oilseed shipments port could exceed 700,000 tonnes in 2014.
With some operational changes, some observers say total grain and oilseed shipments could potentially approach one million tonnes per year.
The Port of Churchill operates from late July until freeze-up.
Last year, the port shipped well into November, setting a new record for the latest outgoing grain shipment. The last grain ship of the 2013 season left port on Nov. 12.
Changes to CWB’s single desk marketing authority in 2012 led many observers to suggest that business at the Port of Churchill would suffer.
In response, Ottawa introduced a five-year $25 million incentive program that pays shippers more than $9 per tonne for every tonne of grain shipped through the northern port.
Richardson has been the port’s biggest shipping customer over the past two years.
Officials with Richardson said the company’s grain shipments through the Port of Churchill have increased significantly since the elimination of the CWB monopoly in August 2012.
