Toronto, November 5, 2024
The following message was issued by the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) on Tuesday November 5, 2024:
Canadian Port Update
East Coast
CN Rail Update on Port of Montreal Strike
Effective today, November 5, at 7:00 am ET, Montreal Gateway Terminal (MGT) rail operations at both Cast and Racine facilities will be suspended until further notice. This action is due to operational constraints and uncertainty arising from the ongoing renewal of the Montreal Longshoremen collective agreement.
As a result, CN will suspend and remove all capacity at its inland terminals for exports destined for Cast and Racine until further notice.
If you have any questions or need further information, contact CN’s Customer Experience team or your CN Account Manager.
West Coast
Port of Vancouver Operations Update – November 4
Port Operations
A coast-wide labour dispute involving the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 (ILWU Local 514) and BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) began to impact operations at some Port of Vancouver terminals as of Monday, November 4.
The Port of Vancouver remains open. Directly impacted terminals at the port are BCMEA member terminals where Local 514 labour is employed.
- Auto sector: Operations impacted
- Breakbulk sector: Operations impacted
- Bulk sector: Grain operations and operations at the Westshore coal terminal are not affected by the labour dispute and will continue. Operations for other commodities impacted
- Container sector: Centerm, Deltaport, Fraser Surrey and Vanterm container terminals impacted. For supply chain data, including the Container Vessel Line-Up Report that includes vessels at anchor and dwelling outside of port authority jurisdiction, visit the port dashboard.
Rail Operations
Embargoes in place. Contact your railway directly for information regarding the latest embargo information and impacted traffic.
Marine operations
There is currently limited anchorage capacity at the port due to recent inclement weather and seasonal demand, including grain exports being in their peak shipping period.
Labour Minister Comments on B.C. Ports Labour Negotiations
Canada’s Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon posted on Saturday on X, as follows: “Today, I spoke with the BCMEA and ILWU 514 on the negotiations for their new collective agreement. Federal mediators are on site, ready to assist the parties.
“It is the responsibility of the parties to reach an agreement. Businesses, workers, and farmers are counting on them to get a deal.”
Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway (CPKC) Customer Advisory: Port of Vancouver Work Stoppage Update – November 4
As a result of the work stoppage at the Port of Vancouver, an embargo for shipments routing to the below locations is effective immediately. The embargo applies to all shipments originating in Canada, the United States and Mexico that are billed to the following:
- Neptune Terminals
- Neptune Bulk Terminals Canada
- Neptune Bulk Terminals LTD
- Global Agriculture
- Columbia Containers
- Pacific Coast Terminals
- West Coast Reduction
- Lynnterm
The embargo is a temporary measure pending an agreement between the ILWU and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and can be rescinded at any time. During the embargo period, CPKC’s network will remain open to accept permits in order to accommodate rail traffic as capacity allows.
Follow this link to access the Railinc site for embargo details.
International intermodal customers should continue to monitor FastPass notifications for updates on local container acceptance conditions. There is no impact to domestic intermodal customers.
For up-to-date information on specific impacts to your shipments or other problem-resolution inquiries, contact Customer Service at 1-888-333-8111, customer_service@cpkcr.com or through the Log an Issue tool on Customer Station.
For more information, please call David Lychek, Director – Ocean & Air Services at (905) 882-4880, ext. 1207.
