Record levels of grain in 2013; port of Churchill says there’s room for more

CHURCHILL, Man. – The Port of Churchill moved record levels of grain last year and the transportation company that owns the facility says there’s room for more.

Merv Tweed of Omnitrax Canada says the port still has capacity in the early part of the shipping season — from mid-July to the end of September.

Tweed says 2013 was much busier in October and early November.

Churchill is the country’s only deep-water Arctic seaport.

Its location on the western coast of Hudson Bay provides access to shipping routes and global markets.

Tweed says the Churchill facility is another choice for farmers who have had difficulty moving their grain.

“As the port of Churchill starts booking for the 2014 shipping season, we want farmers to know that we have the resources they need to transport their product out through Hudson Bay,” Tweed said in a release Thursday.

Omnitrax Canada is a private company that operates regional and short-line railroads in several Canadian provinces.

Farmers have said the hurdle to moving their grain efficiently is a shortage of rail cars.