The Port of Churchill on the shore of Hudson Bay in Churchill, Man., in January.Matt Horseman/The Globe and Mail
The operator of the Port of Churchill has signed an agreement with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, one of the world’s largest cargo-shipping facilities, to collaborate on design and business development as well as future trade as the northern Manitoba site plans a multibillion-dollar expansion.
Under the agreement, Arctic Gateway Group, which runs the Churchill port and the railway that feeds it, and the Belgian Port of Antwerp-Bruges will co-operate on drafting plans for port and intermodal facilities at Churchill and identify new and expanded cargo types between Western Canada and Europe. Critical minerals, energy products, fertilizer feedstock, containers and agricultural commodities are priority areas, the companies said on Tuesday.
Churchill port operator partners with Fednav to study year-round shipping
Churchill’s expansion is not yet a sure thing. But it is touted as a candidate to be one of the projects that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government deems to be in the national interest and worthy of fast-track approvals. Its backers say the port could serve as a base of new global trade routes for commodities as Canada seeks to cut reliance on the United States amid the tariff war waged by President Donald Trump.
However, the facility on the coast of Hudson Bay requires major upgrades as well as ice-breaking capability to prolong a shipping season that is currently just four months long. AGG is studying those needs in partnership with Fednav Ltd., a Montreal-based maritime transport company.
Chris Avery, AGG’s chief executive officer, said the agreement will help Churchill achieve its main objective of diversifying trade for Canadian commodities, and doing so in partnership with the second-largest port in the European Union. Antwerp moves nearly 300 million tonnes of cargo a year.
“And beyond that, we’re also working with them in terms of our development. The Port of Churchill is still at a stage where we’re building it back up and potentially building it even bigger than it was ever before,” Mr. Avery said in an interview from Toronto, where the parties held a signing ceremony on Tuesday at a major mining conference.
“With an organization like the Port of Antwerp, having their development arm work with us and assist us with not only understanding where the customers are, but also the infrastructure and the terminals and requirements of the customers, it’s a huge benefit to us.”
The partners will also look for opportunities for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges to fund joint studies and trade development for Churchill, they said.
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges said last week it plans to install an advanced air-defence system, with the first unit operational by next year, over concerns about increasing numbers of unregistered drones flying above the terminal.