Massive container backlog in Vancouver
By SwizStick • Feb 16th, 2007 • Category: QuickNewsDue to severe weather:
A combination of a series of storms at the coast and heavy snowfall in the interior paralysed container traffic moving through Vancouver. By mid-January almost 7,000 TEUs were stranded at the port, stretching backlogs for weeks and forcing lines to divert some of their sailings. The foul weather caused the loss of an equivalent of 10 days of ship loading/unloading at the port.
Storms and high winds affected ships’ efforts to dock at Deltaport, Vancouver’s container facility in the outer harbour, which accounts for about half of the port’s capacity. The weather also disrupted the operation of cranes at the terminal. Operations at Vanterm and Centerm, Vancouver’s other container terminals, were less affected, as they are located in the port’s inner harbour and less exposed to the high winds, said Anne McMullin, a spokesperson for the port authority.
The backlogs were further exacerbated by severe winter weather in western Canada, with snow affecting rail operations from the west coast to Central Canada and the US Midwest, the main destinations for the bulk of the cargo landing in Vancouver from Asia.
As the article points out, the port is looking forward to the brief slowdown in imports as a result of Chinese New Year.
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