Saskatchewan inland port concept gaining momentum

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

The proposal to develop a multi-modal inland port in Saskatchewan to handle container-shipping is moving forward step by step.

The idea is being championed by Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation, with the support and assistance of Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership and the regional economic development authorities of Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw.

The inland port concept first came to life in 2001, and after some unsuccessful attempts to move it forward, Agrivision Executive Director Al Scholz says the group realized that the shipping industry must be brought on-side. It was that realization which led to a presentation to industry leaders in Vancouver this past January.

“We contracted one of the leading North American transportation consulting companies, TransSystems, to help prepare a Saskatchewan business case that addressed key North American needs. This was completed in early January and presented in Vancouver to the shipping lines, the big retailers and the ports,” said Scholz.

Scholz describes that meeting as a success. “We knew this concept had to make sense to the big global and North American players. They said they like the Saskatchewan concept because it can help solve their problems.”

“If they sign on and we can pull this thing together, it would solve our own local problems in terms of timely access to export containers, which will support expanded value-added processing throughout the province.”

The idea for an inland port was first developed in response to the challenges faced by value-added agricultural processors looking for access to offshore markets.

In the modern world of transportation, there is a rapid shift from bulk to containerized shipping, particularly in Asia and Europe. Due to historical distribution patterns in Canada, those containers pass through Saskatchewan on trains both full and empty, but are not off-loaded here for reuse.

As a result, export products such as pulse crops must be shipped to Canadian ports in bulk, where they are then bagged and containerized.

“We are asset-light in Saskatchewan in terms of transportation infrastructure,” said Scholz. “But since Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw are so close together in relative terms, and because each has linkages to major transportation corridors, the inland port idea can combine the assets of all three cities.”

Ultimately, the development of this concept could see Saskatchewan become a major Canadian and North American trans-shipping centre, where entire ships from Asia would be off-loaded and the cargo moved directly to Saskatchewan for distribution to the end destinations.

As well, the inland port would assemble entire container shiploads in Saskatchewan for direct loading onto ships at port. This concept follows the Kansas City model, a multi-modal inland port with “free trade zones,” which has resulted in the large manufacturing industry that is using offshore components to build products for U.S. markets.

Saskatchewan Agrivision and its partners have engaged an American transportation systems consultant, John Vickerman, to help develop and articulate the idea and its benefits. In March, Vickerman will present the Inland Port Business Case to representatives of the Saskatchewan government and other stakeholders in the province.

“There are four aspects to any project: management, marketing, technology and money,” Scholz stated. “When you’ve got the first three, the money comes.”

Working with the consultant and stakeholders, Scholz says Phase Two will involve completing a detailed business plan for the Saskatchewan inter-modal inland port. Work will commence the summer of 2007 and be complete early in 2008.

For more information, contact:
Al Scholz, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation
Phone: (306) 384-4966
Cell: (306) 221-0248