Montreal’s extended gate hours have improved fluidity since their introduction in September. Now, amid rising volume and construction, among other factors, port officials would like to see the off-hours cargo pickup continue to trend higher to further decease congestion.

Canadian National Railway also is the sole rail provider at the port of Halifax.

Dwell times at Vancouver rail facilities are approaching last winter’s levels, when port congestion was the worst in years, but terminal operators say the factors driving the current delays are not a harbinger.

Montreal is the latest North American port to extend terminal gate hours and place a charge on containers to pay for it, and given the volume trend at the port, it’s not a moment too soon.

Just call it “two functions for the price of one tech,” as Mexico’s trade stakeholders implement technology.

Further, the latest data suggest that the intensifying fight between Krishnapatnam and Kattupalli for market share will further cut into volume moving through Chennai port's terminals.

Don Krusel, who led Prince Rupert for 25 years, will be the project's managing director, the Quebec Port Authority said, citing his experience helping to transform Prince Rupert from a fishing village and bulk shipping port to a major container force for Canadian shippers.

Perhaps nowhere in the world, save India, is a critical mass of demand and resources coming together to produce a more-promising trade future than in Mexico. But to maintain that take-off status, Mexico will have to solve major infrastructure shortcomings, as well as address longstanding trade security issues.

The port of Halifax has three objectives in mind with its tech upgrades, and if the port is successful shippers and other trade stakeholders will benefit from all three.

Shippers express concern about a recent spike in container dwell times in Vancouver, but Global Container Terminals Canada and Canadian National Railway say the fluctuations do not mean things will get worse during peak season.

Canada has an opportunity to create a national cargo gateway on its east coast, if it chooses the right project(s) and it correctly identifies where the shipping industry is headed.

Beneficial cargo owners in eastern Canada and the US Midwest should welcome the expansion as a step toward preventing a return of the congestion that Prince Rupert experienced last winter.

Global Container Terminals Canada said its Vancouver pilot project that will test a flat-fee model during the day and night shifts is designed primarily to reduce gate congestion by reducing truck bunching during shift changes and encouraging more dual transactions.

Shippers and other Vancouver trade stakeholders hope precautionary actions by the transportation ministry and terminal operator Global Container Terminals Canada, to increase driver pay rates and shift from a congestion-based appointment charge to a flat fee effective June 1, prevent driver strikes and congestion that have substantially delayed cargo in the past.

The Canadian East Coast’s very stable market has recently changed significantly: it’s in a state of turmoil with many container port projects being considered — Quebec City (Beauport); Dartmouth, Halifax; Montreal (Contrecoeur); Melford, Nova Scotia; and Sydney, Nova Scotia (Novaporte).

Shippers should keep an eye on the Port of Quebec’s container terminal, but the deciding factor will be whether the economies of scale offered by larger vessel calls at the facility are erased by higher inland transport costs.

Top 25 North American port growth in 2017 does not in and of itself prove that a broad-based, regional economic expansion is underway, but it is a telling statistic.