Studies show year-round shipping potential from Manitoba’s Port of Churchill

Manitoba Premier Dougald Kinew announced studies demonstrating the potential for year-round shipping from the Port of Churchill. This breakthrough means the question of year-round shipping from Churchill can be settled, Kinew stated in a statement. The studies indicate advances in marine technology and shrinking sea ice due to climate change could greatly expand shipping from the current four-month window.

Icebreakers costing between $100 million and $410 million could navigate the waters year-round, while bulk carriers costing between $60 and $70 million could do so for nine to 10 months a year under most conditions. The length of the ice-free shipping window has grown by about a month since the 1980s, with every half-degree of warming adding roughly two weeks more to the period.

The research was conducted by the University of Manitoba, Fednav Ltd., and the Arctic Research Foundation, with funding from the Manitoba and federal governments and the Indigenous-owned Arctic Gateway Group, which owns the port. Kinew has advocated for port expansion, including potential fossil fuel exports, as a major economic driver for the province.

The port has seen limited activity but began shipping grain this year after a six-year hiatus and limited amounts of zinc and potash. The port is among projects referred to the federal major projects office as a transformative strategy but was not among the first round approved for expedited approval.