Port of Halifax Container Dwell Update

The following update was provided September 22, 2020 by the Port of Halifax:

The Port of Halifax continues to experience congestion at its two container terminals. All supply chain providers are working to clear the backlogs as quickly as possible. Current dwell information is posted to the online Port Operations Centre.  

The situation is larger than just Halifax; supply chain congestion and rail capacity issues are being felt across the country and in the U.S. We are working closely with our partners including labour, CN Rail and the terminal operators to restore service to normal levels.

Weather impact to Nova Scotia

We would also like to share links to two news article, noting the storm is heading toward Nova Scotia which is expected to exacerbate the already very challenging recovery process.

• Teddy brings high winds, rain as post-tropical storm makes landfall in Nova Scotia
• Post-tropical storm Teddy leaves thousands of Maritimers without power

Status update for OOCL's Canadian rail provider, CN Rail by location:

Halifax:

The terminal and railroad operating plan continues, with a goal of providing 8,000' of rail car supply daily, with an additional 2 trains per week for a total of 72,000'/week.  Priority has been given by the terminal operators to the cargo arriving by regular weekly Halifax services which unfortunately means diverted cargo will incur prolonged delays.

Montreal**:

Port locations – we continue to work with terminal operators to expedite long idling cargo. Car supply has been impacted by a train derailment in British Columbia (BC) last week, where the recovery lasted three days.  It is expected that we should start to see better car supply moving forward.   

Taschereau – Taschereau is congested due to the Halifax cargo, with very strong exports to Halifax, and empties waiting to move west.

Toronto:

BIT (Brampton) – BIT is extremely congested due to the very strong imports, and very strong exports to Halifax.

Western Canada Rail:

All of the inland rail facilities including Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon are currently congested.  Car supply remains a challenge with priority being given to loads which may delay the movement of empties back to the Coast.  Our rail partners continue to work through the very strong import/export volumes.  CN inland terminals are congested, and Car supply remains a challenge with priority being given to loads.

Western Canada Ports:

West Coast Terminals continue to deal with a surge in imports. Unfortunately, the railcar supply to the West Coast is limited and has been further impacted by last weeks' derailment in Hope, BC.  Now that the derailment has been cleared, they are forecasting a consistent flow into the Gateways.

• Delta Port – Good car supply as work is being done on the back log from the derailment last week.
• Vanterm – Overall car supply is good, although there may be some shortages, with efforts made to strip cars at VIT to achieve production target.
• Centerm – Good car supply is forecasted.
• Prince Rupert – the ground count is very good at 71,000' of imports.  Watching car supply as it may be light, with 4 trains planned for Sept 23^rd;  3 trains planned up to Friday.

**Note that Montreal Gateway Terminals issued an embargo on September 7, 2020  for reefer cargo moving between MTR and TOR, and routing not currently available.

As a reminder, OOCL shipments can also be traced online via our site or utilizing My OOCL Center (MOC).

In addition, if you need to speak to a customer service representative, North America Customer Service is available at 1-888-388-6625.