Storms at Canada’s biggest port leave grain stuck in Prairies
BNN Bloomberg
Mountains of wheat and canola are stranded in Canada after storms blocked access to the Port of Vancouver during peak shipping season.
Mountains of wheat and canola are stranded in Canada after storms blocked access to the Port of Vancouver during peak shipping season.
There’s no rail access to Canada’s biggest port after days of torrential rain and landslides. About 20 vessels are waiting for deliveries, while a couple hundred thousand tons of grain are stuck in transit, according to Quorum, a company that monitors Canada’s grain transportation system.
It’s so bad that some exporters may even be forced to declare force majeure to avoid penalties as they won’t be able to make deliveries on time, said Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association.
Force majeure is a contractual clause that allows deliveries to be suspended due to factors beyond a company’s control, such as natural disasters.
The federal government said Thursday that it’s working with industries to reopen the westernmost province’s supply chain so that essential goods can be transported, and it has met with representatives of railways, the trucking industry and the Vancouver port.
“We are examining all options, including down south,” said Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, about marine transportation options in the U.S., in remarks to media.
