Canadian Pacific has completed its best-ever November and second-best-ever month for shipping Canadian grain and grain products, with 2.96 million metric tonnes (MMT) moved.
This exceeds the previous November record in 2019 by 8%, and is second only to October 2020 for total monthly tonnage. CP has shipped 11.13 MMT of Canadian grain and grain products in the 2020-2021 crop year, exceeding the amount shipped at this time in the 2019-2020 crop year by 15 percent.
“From a combine’s first cut in the field to a ship’s departure from port, so many dedicated individuals, teams and organizations must come together to make grain transportation a success,” says Joan Hardy, CP vice president sales and marketing, Grain and Fertilizers. “As we reflect on the record movements of grain this crop year, we must think about the hard-working people across the supply chain who’ve helped to feed the world in a year of great adversity.”
CP continues to invest in its grain fleet with additional hopper cars coming into service each week. CP has added more than 3,700 new hopper cars to its fleet via purchase or lease. The new high-efficiency railcars carry 15% more grain by volume and 10% more by weight compared to the older cars they are replacing.
CP voluntarily publishes a weekly Canadian grain and grain product supply chain scorecard. The scorecard outlines CP's performance for the previous grain week and includes, when necessary, detailed information on any internal or external factors affecting grain movement.
In other related company news, CP and Hapag-Lloyd have extended their rail transportation agreement to the end of 2025. Additionally, after successful calls to the Port of Saint John, N.B., this summer, Hapag-Lloyd will begin regular service via CP and this key Atlantic Canada port starting in 2021.
"It's a special day when we get to announce the renewal of a contract with Hapag-Lloyd, our largest customer by volume and a world-class ocean carrier," says CP President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel. "It's through our network reach and disciplined execution of the precision scheduled railroading model that we can offer a caliber of service capable of winning our customers' support in this way. With our expanded reach to the deep-water port at Saint John, we are proud to offer Hapag-Lloyd another reason to use our services."
CP regained access to the Port of Saint John in June 2020 with the acquisition of the Central Maine & Quebec Railway and through connections with the Eastern Maine and New Brunswick Southern railways.
"The return of CP was a transformational development for our region," says New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs. "This agreement with Hapag-Lloyd is another critical step for our province. Port Saint John offers a competitive advantage, and this will lead to more jobs and more investment in New Brunswick."
CP also serves Hapag-Lloyd through ports at Vancouver and Montréal.
