COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Shipping and logistics company Maersk has begun developing contingency plans for a possible strike by Canadian National and CPKC crews in Canada, including having ships call at Tacoma, Wash., rather than Vancouver, British Columbia.
In a customer advisory, Maersk said it is working with CN, CPKC, and terminal operator DP world to reduce congestion at Canadian West Coast ports. That would include diverting would some cargo from Vancouver’s Centerm terminal to the Port of Prince Rupert. While both are dependent on rail shipping, Prince Rupert may have additional storage capacity, and moving a cargo backlog from the CN-served port in northern British Columbia would avoid the heavily trafficked Directional Running Zone shared by CN and CPKC through the Fraser and Thompson River canyons in inland British Columba [see “The DRZ: Where CN and CPKC cooperate,” Trains Magazine, May 2024].
The company also said it is looking into “limited truck options” for intra-Canadian transport, and reviewing rail routings and transit times to U.S. destinations via Tacoma.
Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference voted earlier this month to approve strikes against both railroads [see “Union approves strikes …,” Trains News Wire, May 1, 2024]. Talks between management and labor are currently in a mandatory 21-day cooling off period, but a strike could begin as early as May 22, provided the union provides 72 hours’ notice.
