Ceres Global lands CBP agreement to complete BNSF connection at Saskatchewan hub

Grain handling, storage and merchandising firm Ceres Global Ag Corp. today announced it reached an arrangement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to complete final rail construction that will enable the company to connect its new commodity logistics hub in Northgate, Saskatchewan, to a BNSF Railway Co. line.

The connection will be completed as soon as weather conditions allow, Ceres Global officials said in a press release. The company will work closely with CBP, the Canada Border Services Agency and BNSF to meet all requirements necessary to safely and securely move cross-border rail cars for customers, they said.

Cross-border shipments will begin later this year as handling facilities are completed at the new $90 million logistics hub, which will include a grain handling and shipping facility, crude oil transloading and shipping facility, and space to unload imported equipment and materials for Saskatchewan's resource industry. The hub is scheduled to open in summer.

By connecting to the BNSF's network, the Northgate hub will provide shippers direct access to customers in 28 states, numerous Pacific and Gulf Coast ports, and Mexico, as well as other strategic interior locations and Atlantic Coast ports, Ceres Global officials said.

"Making this connection and ensuring customs services were the key remaining milestones in the preparation of the site," said Ceres Global President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Detlefsen. "This project will provide Canadian farmers and oil producers with new, cost-competitive ways to get their products to market."

Ceres Global retains a 25 percent stake in Stewart Southern Railway Inc., an 80-mile short line that operates in Southeastern Saskatchewan.