Canadian Ports Face Prolonged Congestion: What You Need to Know

Ports on the West Coast of Canada have been experiencing congestion, with no relief in sight for another 4-6 weeks at least.

Contributing to the congestion are factors such as poor weather conditions, which delay movement of containers by rail from the port to inland points such as Toronto and Montreal. CPKC and CN enacted winter operating limitations, which involve shorter train lengths and slower speeds, resulting in less containers being loaded to rail.

Another big factor impacting congestion is the realignment of shipping alliances, which is causing delays in vessels and irregular arrival times at ports.

Since arrival times are inconsistent, it has made berth planning more challenging, with late vessels having to wait for a berth, while on-time vessels are being prioritized for offloading.

We are also seeing delays at Canadian East Coast ports. The average import rail dwell time (vessel arrival to departure on rail), for Canadian cargo is as follows:

If your FCL shipments are urgent, please contact Monserrat Vazquez, Manager – Freight Solutions to see if Expedited Rail Service (ERS) is available for your shipment. ERS is a chargeable service option that will speed up the loading of your container to rail and is offered at Prince Rupert, Vancouver and Halifax ports. Requests must be submitted by Universal to the steamship line at least 72 hours prior to docking of the vessel at port, and are offered on a first come/first serve basis.