By Ian Bickis
Corridor linking Manitoba to global markets possible under new agreement
The owners of Manitoba’s Port of Churchill say they’re working with Dubai-based DP World Inc. to potentially boost traffic at the arctic port.
Indigenous-owned Arctic Gateway Group says the memorandum of understanding it has signed with DP World focuses on port operations and possibly creating a transportation corridor linking Manitoba to global markets.
The supply chain memorandum also includes the CentrePort Canada inland shipping hub based beside Winnipeg’s airport, as well as the Hudson Bay Railway that links it to the Port of Churchill.
No dollar investment commitments were announced with the memorandum.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has championed a Port of Churchill expansion, which would include a liquefied natural gas export terminal that could cost more than $70 billion to build.
The port has done little traffic in recent years but has seen renewed interest as Canada looks to diversify trade routes and thinning sea ice expands the potential shipping season.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: South Korean shipbuilder eyes Arctic opportunities, including Canada, as northern shipping grows, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Resource extraction projects, dwindling sea ice, power Arctic shipping surge, Eye on the Arctic
Russia: Northern Sea Route cargo traffic to rise 14 per cent as Chinese shipping expands, says Rosatom, Eye on the Arctic
United States: Alaska port gets 1st funds from Yukon mine to study options for shipping critical minerals, CBC News
