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2007
Churchill loads first-ever domestic grain shipment
September 17, 2007
Winnipeg - The Kathryn Spirit is loading grain in Churchill today for the first-ever shipment of grain from the northern port destined for a Canadian customer. The vessel will carry 12 500 tonnes of wheat from the Prairies to a mill in Halifax.
"This is a creative way to save farmers freight costs and maximize the use of Churchill," CWB president and CEO Greg Arason said. "It is important to identify innovative ways of shipping grain and other commodities through the Port of Churchill since its long-term viability is very important to Prairie farmers."
The vessel is an Arctic supply ship that sailed from Montreal with a cargo of goods to unload for communities on the Hudson’s Bay coast. Instead of returning with an empty hold, the former Great Lakes freighter will be filled for the first time with Canada Western Red Spring wheat.
As a northern port, the Churchill shipping route is ice-free for about four months a year. Its shipping season typically begins in July and runs into early November. Transportation to the port is carried out over 1,400 kilometeres of rail linking Churchill to farmers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. OmniTRAX Inc. owns the port facilities and rail line.
Arason said using Churchill makes economic sense for moving grain from many parts of the Prairies, particularly in a catchment area in northeastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba. Grain also moves eastbound through Thunder Bay to eastern Canadian ports via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway or, westbound, to Vancouver and Prince Rupert.
Bill Drew, director of the Churchill Gateway Development Corporation (CGDC) said there are five or six Arctic supply ships docking at the port each season, which may be able to carry grain or other cargo out on an ongoing basis.
"All stakeholders in the Port of Churchill are constantly looking for new ways to utilize the facility during the ice-free period," he said. "It has really been a cooperative effort by all players at the port, including the CWB, OmniTRAX, the CGDC and the ship owners, to initiate this unique domestic-bound grain shipment."
The CWB is the primary user of the port, shipping an annual average of 364 000 tonnes of wheat and durum through Churchill to customers in Latin America, Africa and Europe.
Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. One of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to over 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs to farmers.
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For more information, please contact:
Maureen Fitzhenry
CWB media relations manager
(204) 983-3101
Cell: (204) 227-6927
