DP World has agreed to work with Arctic Gateway Group and CentrePort Canada on a potential transport corridor linking Manitoba and central Canada to international markets through the Port of Churchill, Maritime Executive reports. The partnership is part of efforts backed by Canada’s federal government and Manitoba’s provincial government to expand trade opportunities through the northern port.
Arctic Gateway operates both Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway, while CentrePort Canada runs the country’s largest tri-modal inland port and a Foreign Trade Zone. The partners will examine how manufacturing and natural resources businesses could connect with DP World’s worldwide logistics network through Churchill. Their agreement covers port operations, logistics services and potential network development, rather than setting out a confirmed expansion programme.
According to Maritime Executive, port officials say Churchill now handles a wider mix of commodities than at any previous point in its history, following investment in restoring railway and port infrastructure. Cargoes include critical minerals, grain and potash. The port also serves as a supply gateway for the Nunavut First Peoples community.
Churchill resumed grain shipments in September for the first time since 2020. Around 30,000 tonnes of Canadian durum wheat supplied by Saskatchewan-based AGT Foods was loaded for European customers, the outlet reports. Arctic Gateway says discussions about attracting private investment remain active. It also says studies have found that the current generation of ice-strengthened vessels could enable year-round operations at the port.
CentrePort reports approximately C$1.5 billion in private investment, with more than 1,000 companies established in the region. It also reports over 3.5 million square feet of industrial space built or under construction during the past eight years. DP World, meanwhile, says it already handles more than one million TEU annually in Canada and is participating in the Port of Montreal’s expansion.
Transport minister Steven MacKinnon presented the partnership as an opportunity to strengthen links between northern, inland and international transport networks while diversifying exporters’ routes. Maritime Executive reports that the federal government is encouraging investment and seeking to accelerate Churchill’s expansion as part of its push to develop international trade opportunities.