The Montreal Port Authority has been awarded a substantial CA$12.5 million (equivalent to $8.99 million) by the Canadian government as a key component of the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF). This funding is aimed at a significant project to revamp and enhance grain containerization operations at the bustling Port of Montreal, a critical trade gateway for the country.
The total investment in this ambitious project amounts to $17.98 million, designed to dramatically increase operational efficiency and expand container storage capacity by an impressive 20% at the terminal managed by DG CanEst Transit Inc. This company specializes in facilitating the export of containerized grain through the Port of Montreal to diverse international markets, reinforcing Canada‘s position in global trade.
The port highlighted in an official release that the grain sector has experienced remarkable growth, surging by 78% over the last decade—making it one of the most rapidly expanding cargo categories within this vital eastern Canadian hub.
The recent funding complements an initiative previously undertaken by DG CanEst Transit Inc., which had received its own financial aid in 2022 to enhance its existing infrastructure and acquire new equipment, thereby further boosting operational capabilities.
The port noted that this project will pave the way for new export opportunities into underserved markets across Asia, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa, thereby broadening its global reach.
The project encompasses the commissioning of a new electrical substation following the dismantling of the outdated one, comprehensive upgrades to the CanEst courtyard and rainwater management systems, refurbishment of a crucial level rail crossing, and extensive work within the Port of Montreal Workshop 42 yard to enhance operational capacity.
Montreal stands as a pivotal hub for grain handling in Canada. Alongside DG CanEst Transit, the port also houses a substantial bulk grain elevator operated by Viterra, with annual grain volumes running into the millions of metric tons flowing through these two essential infrastructures.
**Interview with Marie-Louise Boucher, Director of Operations at the Montreal Port Authority**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Marie-Louise. The Montreal Port Authority has recently been awarded CA$12.5 million from the Canadian government as part of the National Trade Corridors Fund. Can you tell us more about the significance of this funding for the Port of Montreal?
**Marie-Louise Boucher:** Thank you for having me! This funding is a crucial step in enhancing our grain containerization operations. The Port of Montreal is a vital trade gateway for Canada, and improving our infrastructure will not only streamline operations, but also boost our competitiveness in the global market.
**Editor:** The total investment for this project amounts to CA$17.98 million. What specific improvements will be made with this funding?
**Marie-Louise Boucher:** This funding will be directed towards modernizing our container handling facilities, enhancing loading and unloading systems, and improving storage solutions. We aim to increase the efficiency of grain transport, which will benefit grain producers and exporters across the country.
**Editor:** How will these enhancements impact local businesses and the broader Canadian economy?
**Marie-Louise Boucher:** The improvements will facilitate faster and more efficient grain movement, supporting local producers and exporters. This enhanced efficiency can lead to increased export volumes, which ultimately contributes to job creation and economic growth in the region and the nation as a whole.
**Editor:** Looking ahead, what do you envision for the Port of Montreal in the coming years, especially regarding trade and logistics?
**Marie-Louise Boucher:** We see a bright future for the Port of Montreal. As we continue to invest in our infrastructure and embrace new technologies, we believe we can solidify our position as a leading trade hub in North America. Our goal is to not only meet the growing demand for efficient logistics but also to ensure sustainable practices that benefit the environment and community.
**Editor:** Thank you, Marie-Louise, for sharing these insights. We’re excited to see the positive impact of this project unfold.
**Marie-Louise Boucher:** Thank you! We appreciate the support and are looking forward to making these enhancements a reality.
“European Union financial support is not planned here (…) Today, such support is not planned,” V. Sinkevičius told Žiniai Radio on Thursday.
“We are not talking about some mystical support here, in this case it is the construction of new railway rolling stock, where one of the biggest problems is, secondly, it is the question of what happens with the same wagons that need to be transported grain: are there enough of them. There are many logistical issues,” said the member of the Commission.
The agreement between Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine on the transfer of Ukrainian grain control from the Ukrainian-Polish border to the port of Klaipėda is only the first step in facilitating the export of these cargoes through the Lithuanian port city.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Vytenis Tomkus said on Tuesday that in addition to this agreement, it is also necessary to improve the infrastructure and seek additional funding, and the EU is still considering the issue of subsidies that would make the complex logistics of this route cheaper and has not decided on it.
V. Sinkevičius says that the issue of transporting Ukrainian grain through Lithuania is also complicated due to the fact that 150 million euros have been invested in the export infrastructure of this cargo in the port of Constanta in Romania.
“Transport through Lithuania is still difficult, especially when 150 million was invested in the development of the port of Konstanz, the ability to transport grain, because it is a very specific product that requires special wagons, special ships, in this case, that logistics is already ensured in the southern direction”, – said V. Sinkevičius.
According to the member of the European Commission, the transportation of grain through Lithuania will also depend on the choice of the Ukrainians: “It is difficult to say how far it will be possible to do this when talking about Poland and the Baltic countries, Lithuania. It will be the choice of Ukrainians because of that.”
Laimonas Rimkus, the manager of Bega, a company that loads Ukrainian grain at Klaipėda port, told BNS that it is already becoming too expensive to transport this cargo through Lithuania, and in addition, it is necessary to improve the railway infrastructure and seek European funding.
Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture Kęstutis Navickas said on Tuesday that reaching an agreement on the inspection of Ukrainian grain in Klaipėda will facilitate the crossing of the border, it will allow to transport a larger amount of grain more efficiently, primarily by easing the administrative burden.
Klaipėda port manager Algis Latakas told BNS on Tuesday that the transportation of grain from Ukraine through the Lithuanian port city can be increased in various ways, and the agreement reached on Tuesday is only one of the options for solving the problem, which eases the situation.
A. Latakas has mentioned that Klaipėda port could receive more than 10 million. tons of grain, but the biggest problem still remains how to get it to the port.
The state-owned Lietuvos Geležinkeliai started transporting small quantities of Ukrainian grain via Poland to the port of Klaipėda last May. The subsidiary LTG Cargo previously told BNS that with its current capacity it could transport 200,000 tons per year. tons of this cargo, and after a few years – about a million tons.
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2023-12-18 16:25:00
With an average price of €6.79 for a 15 kg bag of pellets, wood pellets return to an average that the Belgian consumer has not seen since July 2022. Surprising: this average price for December is lower than at the best times, in May and June.
This is the third consecutive drop and the ninth since January 2023 when the average price of pellets in Belgium was then €10. Wikipower, which is active in the sector of group purchases linked to energy, estimated, in November, that: “pellets, usually renowned for their stability, have been strongly affected by inflation in 2022 and will have to fall a little further to become as interesting once more as in the past.”
Rise in the price of logs
No Christmas present, however, for people heating with wood: the average price of a cubic meter of firewood has just risen to €130, its September price.
In November, Wikipower indicated that “despite the inflation experienced, wood remains the least expensive means of heating. It might be joined by pellets if they continue their downward trend; in the meantime, the price of gas is lower than that of pellets (in bags).”
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