(The following report by Tom Peters appeared on the Chronicle-Herald website on October 14.)
HALIFAX, N.S. — There is a sense of urgency to get the Port of Halifax moving or face losing business to the competition, says a senior rail executive.
Peter Ladouceur, assistant vice-president of marketing, CN Intermodal, made it clear to delegates to the Atlantic Provinces Transportation Forum on Friday that Halifax has to make a move.
“We can’t wait,” he said in an interview.
“Other ports and other terminals and other jurisdictions are rapidly developing new creative, innovative solutions to bring freight into North America, and here in Halifax or Atlantic Canada we need to be as active, as vigorous as they are, not only to keep pace, but also to try and grow because we are competing with them.”
Growth in Halifax’s container cargo has been stagnant and people are starting to become concerned, Mr. Ladouceur said.
The Atlantic Gateway business case “is a very good one,” he said.
“There is a graph that shows relatively modest or flat growth for the last four or five years in Halifax and I think people are realizing, ‘Wait a minute, that is not the same experience being enjoyed on the West Coast or at other East Coast port facilities.
“What’s lacking here in Halifax? Why aren’t we enjoying the same ride as they are?”
He said there have also been some “real live examples of credible steamship lines that have made decisions that are right for their company but that are to the detriment of Halifax — Maersk leaving, China Shipping leaving.”
“These are kind of like wake-up calls. These are smart people, good companies.
“Why are they electing to stop calling at Halifax?”
Mr. Ledouceur said even though Halifax has many advantages, such as extra capacity and deep water, it does have its weaknesses — a small local market, a Canadian dollar at par with the U.S. dollar, competing ports getting bigger and deeper.
With lines leaving and cargo growth flat, CN’s long trains, which move through the port daily, are not full.
He said CN meets with shipping lines on an ongoing basis, and “we are pushing more aggressively now with customers that currently call in Halifax and think they would like to call in Halifax.”
The province’s deputy minister of transportation, David Darrow, said consultants have been hired to develop an aggressive marketing plan as part of the Atlantic Gateway concept.
“We need to create awareness around this gateway,” he said.