A fire at Westshore Terminals has shutdown one of the Port of Metro Vancouver facility’s two coal berths.

In a release issued by the company; a fire, on August 16, broke out on a ship loader that services Berth #1. Fire crews extinguished the blaze safely and no one was hurt. Westshore advised there was no structural damage to the site but a preliminary inspection estimated the berth would be out of commission for about 10 weeks while undergoing repairs to the mechanical and electrical systems.

Operations will continue as normal at Berth 2 but the temporary closure of Berth #1 will have some short term impacts on berth waiting time and rail delivery schedules.

Westshore is Canada’s busiest coal terminal and handles materials mined from Canada and the western U.S. The temporary closure of Berth #1 is expected to reduce the terminal’s expected shipping volumes for 2025, from 26 million tonnes down to 24-24.5 million tonnes.

In 2019, the Port of Prince Rupert and CN partnered on the $122 million Zanardi Rapids Bridge Project to construct a new double track bridge across the Zanardi rapids, rehabilitate the existing single track bridge and expand the causeway between the bridge and Ridley Island to reduce operational conflict.

The original bridge was built in 1910 between Ridley and Watson islands and effectively serves as the entrance to the Port of Prince Rupert. Given the recent growth of the port, the single track bridge which allows only 24 trains to cross daily has become a critical rail bottleneck, unable to efficiently handle current traffic.

The new 1600-foot will significantly expand the corridor’s capacity to allow more rail crossings into the port and prepare it for projected trade growth over the next decade. The project also involves several miles of new track and better integration with CN’s Class 1 continental rail network. Completion date for the expansion is currently expected to be early 2027.

The Port of Prince Rupert is 500 nautical miles closer to Asia than all other North American West Coast ports (36 hours closer to Shanghai than Vancouver & Seattle and over 68 hours closer than Los Angeles/Long Beach), has the deepest natural harbour in North America, and provides direct access to Pacific shipping lanes.

In July of this year, BHP announced a major cost and schedule overrun for its Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan, with the first stage now projected to cost up to $7.4 billion, 30% more than the original $5.7 billion with expected completion delayed from 2026 to mid-2027. The mine’s first stage is currently 68% complete. Once finished, the mine is initially expected to have a capacity of 4.15 Mtpa (million tons per annum).

At that time, the company said it was also considering pushing back its second phase deadline as well, amid concerns over increased costs. And on August 19, that decision was confirmed with the estimated completion of stage two delayed to 2031, with BHP pausing its $4.9 billion investment and withdrawing its cost estimate pending further review. The mine’s second stage, currently at 11% complete, is to see the development of more mining districts, expanded processing facilities and rail infrastructure to boost the mine’s output inclemently to 4.36 Mtpa.

Overall the company cited design changes, inflation, and productivity issues as reasons for the setbacks. The delay may support potash prices but adds pressure to overall project costs. The project, central to BHP’s long-term diversification strategy, has been over a decade in development. The company expects global potash demand to rise alongside population growth and pressure to improve farming yields given limited land supply.

On July 31 both CN Rail and CPKC railway published their grain plans for the 2025-26 crop year.

CN reported a record volume of Canadian grain and grain products delivered to both domestic and international markets this past crop year. Current projections suggest Western Canadian movement for 2024-25 will total approximately 31 metric million tonnes (MMT), roughly one million metric tonnes higher than the previous record.

Though the upcoming 2025-2026 crop year is expected to result in slightly lower volumes, CN Rail is targeting another strong year with the movement of approximately 27–29.5 MMT of grain and processed products for this year, supported by sufficient resources under normal conditions.

On their end, CPKC estimates they will have moved over 27 MMT Canadian grain and grain products for the 2024–25 crop year. This will be their highest volume transported since the 2020–2021 crop year, when CP broke its all-time, single-year volume record with 30.62 MMT.

CPKC’s Grain Service Outlook sets a capacity target of up to 34 million tonnes of Canadian grain and grain products, dependent on market demand and supply chain efficiency this year.

Highlights from CN`s 2025–2026 Grain Plan include:
– CN anticipates moving 27.0 to 29.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of grain and processed grain products during the 2025–2026 crop year. The company has sufficient resources in place to meet demand under normal operating conditions.
-CN is changing the way it distributes empty hopper cars originating from West Coast ports to improve visibility and planning with customers. Instead of distributing cars from major rail hubs in the Prairies, CN will distribute cars as they depart Vancouver. Customers will also have enhanced visibility on tracking their rail shipments through CN’s rail shipment tracking tool.
-End-to-End Transparency: Through CN’s Western Canadian Grain Report and operational dashboards, stakeholders have access to weekly updates on car orders, supply chain conditions, and system fluidity.

Highlights from CPKC`s 2025-26 Grain Service Outlook
– CPKC plans to supply the capacity required to move up to 685,000 metric tonnes (“MT”) of Canadian agricultural products on average each week when the Port of Thunder Bay is open (generally from August through early January, and from April to July). During the winter months when the Port of Thunder Bay is closed, CPKC plans to supply the capacity required to move up to 525,000 MT on average each week, subject to market demand.
-CPKC expects to supply the capacity required to be able to transport up to 34 MMT of Canadian grain and grain products throughout the crop year under optimal conditions all around.
-CPKC’s will invest more than $500 million in high-capacity hopper cars and will take delivery of 100 new Tier 4 diesel-electric locomotives

Here are the full CN and CPKC reports to cheer your end of summer blues.

To date 2025 has been a difficult year for many in Canada’s export sectors. And as if the ongoing uncertainty and increasing costs from the on again, off again (and currently on again) tariffs of the US’ helter-skelter trade strategy weren’t enough, some Canadian farmers are now facing debilitating levies from China.

Following a year long “anti-dumping investigation” into Canadian canola, China’s commerce ministry enacted a preliminary 75.8% duty on Canadian canola seed imports from August 14. The timing of this move is intended to inflict maximum damage to Canadian farmers, as it effectively closes a key $4 billion export market just as the harvest is starting. This latest blow lands on top of China’s 100% tariff levied on canola meal and canola oil from September, 2024.

The dumping accusation (ie goods sold at an unfairly low price or that are unfairly subsidized by the government) is in direct response to Canada’s tariffs (100% on Chinese EV’s and the 25% on Chinese steel and aluminum) levied in 2024. Whereas China has cited Canadian government subsidies as justification for these latest tariffs.

Canada is the world’s largest exporter of canola and China is the second largest destination after the U.S. Total canola exports (seed, meal & pellets) to China were valued at almost $5 billion in 2024, and canola seed represents about three-quarters of those exports, according to the Canola Council of Canada.

On June 1, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s (VFPA) ECHO Program launched its ninth season of voluntary vessel slowdowns to reduce the impact of commercial shipping on at-risk whales off BC’s south coast. Where safe and feasible, bulkers, tankers, and government vessels are encouraged to travel at 11 knots or less, while vehicle carriers, cruise ships, and container ships are asked to maintain speeds of 14.5 knots or less. The slowdown at Swiftsure Bank will run from June 1 to October 31, 2025. The Haro Strait and Boundary Pass voluntary vessel slowdowns will commence with the arrival of Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) in the area and could extend until November 30. Learn more about the ECHO Program here.

The federal Industrial Inquiry Commission’s (IIC) has released its report on longshoring labour disputes at Canada’s West Coast ports. The Terms of Reference for the IIC, established following the 2023 strike, are predicated on the need to reduce the number of labour disruptions that impact port activities. Since 1972 there have been 13 labour disputes, nine of which have resulted in government intervention, including the most recent lockout of Local 514 in 2024. The report, led by Vincent Ready and Amanda Rogers, recommends maintaining the right to strike and/or lockout, Labour Code amendments to include special mediator provisions, and legislative changes that would support geographic certification.  The findings and recommendations present a roadmap for stability and prosperity at West Coast ports and emphasize the importance of modernizing collective bargaining practices to foster greater collaboration between labour and management. However, it was also noted that its success hinges on the willingness of stakeholders to embrace change and work together toward a common goal.

Courtesy of the BC Chamber of Shipping

If you enjoy punishment, the full report can be read here.

CN has announced a CAD 3.4 billion capital expenditure program for 2025, focused on enhancing network capacity, safety, and sustainability across Canada and the U.S. Of this, approximately $2.9 billion will support ongoing maintenance and infrastructure projects, including over 225 miles of new rail and eight capacity-expansion initiatives in Western Canada which are expected to improve fluidity and capacity for the Port of Vancouver.

More than $500 million will go toward upgrading and expanding CN’s rolling stock to support safe and efficient service. The investment builds on CN’s $3.5 billion spent in 2024, which included major projects in the Greater Chicago, Vancouver, and Toronto areas aimed at improving fluidity, reliability, and long-term network performance.

Amid escalating trade tensions with the United States, China has emerged as the top buyer of Canadian crude shipped via the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX), marking a significant shift in trade patterns amid a U.S. trade war and global sanctions on oil from Russia and Venezuela.

Since TMX reached full operations in June 2024, tripling its capacity to 890,000 barrels per day (bpd), China has averaged 207,000 bpd from the pipeline, up from just 7,000 bpd on average in the previous decade (2003-2013), and surpassing the US, which imported an average of 173,000 bpd over the same period.

Initial expectations were that the U.S. West Coast would be the primary market for the additional TMX oil rather than Asia, which has better access to cheaper Russian oil. However ongoing global sanctions on Russian oil have made Canadian crude a viable economic option for China.

Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, but its main oil-producing province of Alberta is landlocked with limited access to tidewater ports. The Trans Mountain (with its $34 billion expansion) is Canada’s only east-west oil pipeline, carrying oil from Alberta to the Port of Vancouver for export via tankers.

And while China has now become the second largest importer of Canadian crude, the US still dominates overall, receiving over 90% of Canadian oil exports (approximately 4 million bpd) via pipelines that run north-south from Canada into the U.S Midwest and Gulf Coast, with the TMX pipeline also increasing the volume and share of exports to the US West Coast.

Despite recent concerns about Canada’s export performance amid calls for greater West Coast infrastructure investment and a sharp decline in the Chinese market, grain, oilseed, and pulse exports are on pace for record highs in the 2024-25 crop year. According to the Canadian Grain Commission, weekly exports as of June 1 are up by 7.5 million tonnes overall from this time last year reaching a total export of 43.95 million tonnes for the crop year to date.

The largest rise in year-on-year exports to June 1 was in canola. Canola exports are 3.2 million tonnes ahead of last year’s pace with the total to date at 8.5 million tonnes. And with nine weeks left in the crop year, canola exports have already exceeded market expectations for this year and are likely to end up near 10 million tonnes overall.

Durum exports have seen the second largest increase from last year, with year-to-date exports currently at 4.9 million tonnes, which is up by 1.87 million tonnes from last year. This pace is only 464,000 tonnes lower than the record pace set in the 2020-21 crop year. Wheat exports also continue at a record pace with exports to date at 18.4 million tonnes for this crop year, which is 404,000 tonnes ahead of last year’s pace.

Barley and pea exports have been slightly off last year’s pace. Barley exports are currently at 1.76 million tonnes this year, down by 105,800 tonnes from last year’s pace, while peas, currently at 1.7 million tonnes exported, slightly less than 100,000 tonnes below the year previous.

The most surprising aspect of these unexpected record numbers is that they come at a time when China has sharply reduced their overall demand for grain imports. China’s wheat imports in 2024–25 were reduced to 3.5 million tonnes, down from 13.64 million last year as it relies on domestic reserves and a favourable harvests this year.

This reduction itself is expected to cause a projected 12% drop in global wheat trade which will be the steepest in decades. And specifically Canadian exports to China have fallen from 2.02 million to 570,500 tonnes over the same period of last year. Fortunately the increased demand from other markets, particularly Japan, Peru, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates has helped deliver some bountiful numbers for this crop year.