ZIM begins marine carrier service at Port of Prince Rupert

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has partnered with 2M Alliance to begin serving the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia, port authority and DP World Prince Rupert Inc. announced yesterday.

ZIM service made its inaugural call at the port on March 27, when ZIM containers arrived on the Maersk Altair vessel. CN serves the port.

Prince Rupert Port Authority and CN officials said they welcomed the new weekly marine carrier service at the Fairview Container Terminal. In the decade since the terminal began operations, its exclusive ship-to-rail service has grown at the fastest pace of any container terminal in North America, they said in a press release.

"With CN’s capacity improvements in western Canada and DP World’s expansion of Fairview Container Terminal to accommodate 1.8 million [20-foot equivalent units] by 2022, the Port of Prince Rupert can continue to grow to meet the demand for trade through Canada’s leading-edge gateway,” said Shaun Stevenson, the port authority's president and chief executive officer.

Prince Rupert is the closest major North American port to Asia with direct access to CN's continental rail network, according to the port.