The Port of Churchill’s grain shipping season won’t get off to an early start this year.
The date of the first grain shipment, now set for second week in August, is not unusual. But it’s later than port operators and grain shippers wanted.
“We’re still expecting a strong program but it won’t be the early start we all had hoped for,” said Maureen Fitzhenry of the Canadian Wheat Board, the port’s biggest user.
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In early June, officials with Omnitrax, the U.S. company that owns the northern Manitoba port terminal and rail line, said the goal was to start shipping July 1.
However a long, colder-than-normal winter created difficult ice conditions in Hudson Bay.
The Churchill Gateway Development Corp. (CGDC), which represents Omnitrax and the federal and Manitoba governments, had arranged for an ice class salvage-capable tug to help advance the opening, but mechanical problems prevented the vessel from arriving at port.
Bill Drew, executive director of CGDC, said two weeks ago that he expected the first grain vessel to arrive around Aug. 1 to pick up durum, followed by another on Aug. 9 and another Aug. 16, both for wheat.
On July 31, the port reported that the first grain shipment was now expected Aug 10. The two wheat shipments were scheduled for Aug. 14 and Aug. 17.
There are about 90,000 tonnes of CWB grain in store at the port’s terminal and rail cars have begun hauling up new supplies from the Prairies.
“I think we’ll have a pretty good year,” Drew said, adding that in addition to strong CWB shipments, the port is working to arrange shipments of non-board product.
“I expect we’ll be around 600,000 tonnes or more,” he said, including about 500,000 tonnes of CWB grain.
Last year, shipments totalled 424,000 tonnes, compared to 630,000 the previous year.
