Vancouver B.C. Rail Congestion Update

Further to yesterday’s notice:

Ocean terminals in Vancouver, BC have experienced an increase in import rail volume headed for US locations.

The volume increase has created terminal congestion and departure delays for import rail traffic moving through the Vancouver gateway.

Unfortunately, this situation overshadows any ability WSL might have to immediately impact rail departures. Numerous ocean carriers have diverted vessels away from U.S. ports to avoid potential work stoppages, and all of the terminals in B.C. are flooded with containers.

In addition, today the CN Rail announced in a letter (see attached) that they are putting terminals and carriers on allocations for U.S.-destined cargo. This allocation will be “based on regular volume offerings received earlier this year, plus an allotted percentage over and above the "normal volume".”

At this point, we wish to inform customers of this situation and confirm that we will do our best to help expedite cargo. Please understand, however, that our options are limited and the railroads and terminals plan to enforce strict processes in order to remain fluid. This is not something that WSL or any other carrier can control.

Currently at Centerm there is 3,500 TEU of rail cargo on-dock. Vanterm, Deltaport and Prince Rupert are also seeing significantly higher-than-normal ground counts.

Westwood offers our sincere apologies for this inconvenience. We will continue to work closely with our Ocean Terminal and Rail Providers to ensure prompt departure of outstanding freight, and will provide updates as the situation changes. Westwood thanks all of our customers for your understanding and continued business support, as we work through these challenges.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please contact your Westwood Sales Manager or Customer Service Specialist at 1-800-621-4371.