All posts in Canaan Transport Blog Post

May 29, 2019 – The BCMEA and ILWU resumed meeting @ 12:00 pm Wednesday, May 29. The Canadian Government has flown in a negotiator from the Ministry of Labour to negotiate an agreement. If there is no agreement/resolution the soonest the government can intervene with back to work legislation is at the end of the week.

Vancouver Terminals

* Please note that GCT Deltaport and GCT Vanterm day shift (08:00-15:59) truck gates will be closed on May 30.

* Terminal Gate Efficiency Fees (TGEF) will be waived for cancelled (unused) appointments on May 30.

DP World Centerm

* The Vancouver terminal will be closed as of 8:00am PST, May 30.

* All day shift appointments for May 30 have been cancelled. All cancelled appointments will be waived/vouchered.

* All Thursday night shift, Friday appointments and onwards are still active at this point, a further update will to follow after 12:00 pm PST May 30.

Fraser Surrey Dock

* Effective May 30., the Container Gate at FSD will be closed. All reservations for the dayshift will be cancelled

May 29, 2019 – The BCMEA announced there were further discussions with FMCS and the Ministry of Labour Tuesday, and as a result, the parties have agreed to return to the bargaining table Wednesday, although the lockout notice has not been lifted. As further developments occur tomorrow, BCMEA said it would advise Canaan Transport as to the progress made.

May 29, 2019 – The Québec Port Authority (QPA) announced yesterday the signing of a long-term commercial agreement with Hutchison Ports and CN (Canadian National Railway) to build and operate a new container terminal, known as project Laurentia (previously Beauport 2020). The $775 million project will be financed primarily through the joint investment of the three partners. The QPA is in discussions with the federal and provincial governments to complete the financing. The agreement stipulates that Hutchison Ports will build the most environmentally and technologically advanced cargo-handling facility in North America. It is a unique opportunity for the Port of Québec’s future container terminal to become one of the terminals with the smallest ecological footprint in the world. With the project reaching a pivotal milestone, the QPA unveiled the new brand image for its deepwater container terminal. In reference to the North American continent’s genesis, the project will henceforth be known as Laurentia, reflecting the continental reach and importance of the new container terminal on the Saint Lawrence. According to the press release, the Laurentia terminal will be the only facility on the St. Lawrence that can accommodate the new generations of very large ships. The project is currently under an environmental assessment process with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. Canaan Transport will continue to monitor these developments.

May 28, 2019 – The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) provided formal notice today to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union – Canada (ILWU – Canada) of its intention, given the strike action that is occurring in the industry, that customer members of the Association will lockout all longshore employees covered by the expired BCMEA / ILWU – Canada collective agreement effective 0800, May 30, 2019. In light of this information and to avoid significant disruptions, we are strongly encouraging all customers to pick up and return shipments as soon as possible. Canaan Transport is closely monitoring this situation and will do our best to keep all customers apprised of any pertinent developments.

May 28, 2019 – Limited strike action continues today at the Vanterm and Deltaport terminals in Vancouver. Empirically speaking, our drivers are facing some delays when picking up or delivering containers. More news as it develops.

May 26, 2019 – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union – Canada ( ILWU – Canada ) issued a notice today indicating the Union will take targeted job action on Monday, May 27, 2019 at 7am at Vancouver’s GCT terminals, Deltaport and Vanterm, however, there will be no picket lines and all ports and terminals will remain open. ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton said that “Contrary to comments made by employers to the media, all terminals will remain open for business and ILWU-Canada and its locals will not put up picket lines at this time. Our goal is to keep the ports open with minimal disruption to trade.” The BCMEA (British Columbia Maritime Employers Association) said it remains committed to the collective bargaining process having continued discussions throughout the weekend and will continue to bargain in an effort to reach a collective agreement that is in the interests of both parties. Jeff Scott, Board Chair for the BCMEA, said, "It is an unfortunate step and we are deeply concerned about the economic impact that a potential strike could have on the economic security of Canada, and the Canadian economy as a whole.” Should a work disruption occur, the impact to the Port of Vancouver alone would be significant. For context, approximately $547 million or 400,000 metric tonnes worth of trade per day would be negatively impacted. Canaan Transport will continue to monitor the situation and will advise on any changes.

May 23, 2019 – This evening, the BC Maritime Employers Association announced that it had received formal, written 72-hour strike notice from ILWU Canada relating to ongoing labour negotiations in British Columbia. Strike notice has been specifically directed to GCT Global Container Terminals Canada effective on 7am on Monday, May 27, 2019 in British Columbia. The BCMEA said it has a plan in motion to address next steps and will update further as the situation develops. The BCMEA said it remained committed to the collective bargaining process and would continue to bargain in good faith. Canaan Transport will update our readers on any further developments as they arise.

May 20, 2019 – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration agreed Friday to drop its punitive and controversial tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, ending a bitter dispute between historic allies and removing a key obstacle to ratifying the new North American trade pact. Canada and the U.S. both say they will now work together in the coming weeks to get legal approval of the new continental trade deal — a reboot of the original, 25-year-old NAFTA. The breakthrough was good news politically for an embattled Liberal government that is heading into a federal election in October and must win seats in vote-rich Ontario, where Conservative Premier Doug Ford has mounted a public campaign against the federal carbon tax. The deal is a foreign policy win for Trudeau, whose oversight of Canada’s most important international relationship has been complicated by a bellicose American president unafraid of flinging personal insults, accusing a key neighbour of threatening national security and accusing Canadian farmers of taking advantage of unfair trading practices.

May 14, 2019 – ILWU Local 500 posted the results of the strike vote held on May 8 and 9 on its website. More than 98 percent of the union’s members voted in favour of supporting strike action against the member companies of the B.C. Maritime Employers Association, if necessary. As noted our previous blog postings, the BCMEA is "cautiously optimistic" that the two sides will come to an agreement, and further meetings have been scheduled.

May 13, 2019 – UAE — DP World announced the acquisition of Fraser Surrey Docks from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP) today. The acquisition will be effected through DP World’s Canadian subsidiary, DP World Canada Investment Inc. which is owned 45% by Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec (CDPQ) DP World expects the transaction to close in the first half of 2019 and follows on the recent sale of Halifax’s container terminal to Singapore’s PSA. Fraser Surrey Docks is a large, multi-purpose marine terminal located in the greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. It operates over 1,200 meters of berth and 189 acres of yard and is one of Vancouver’s major steel import terminals. It also handles over 1 million tons of grain and serves several container lines, handling approximately 250,000 TEU in 2018.

The acquisition of Fraser Surrey Docks complements DP World’s footprint in Canada and provides an attractive platform to better serve our customers’ break-bulk and dry bulk requirements. DP World’s existing facilities at Vancouver and Prince Rupert have enjoyed strong growth in recent years and we believe that Fraser Surrey Docks will benefit from being part of DP World’s terminal portfolio. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said: “We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Fraser Surrey Docks, which complements our footprint in the west coast of Canada. We are seeing increasing demand from our customers for multipurpose facilities in the region and we believe Fraser Surrey Docks has the relevant infrastructure and is in the right location to service this demand. We look forward to bringing DP World’s best-in-class terminal operations to Fraser Surrey Docks.”