CP, Maersk open Vancouver transload facility

Canadian Pacific and Maersk last week opened in Vancouver, British Columbia, a new 117,000-square-foot Pacific Transload Express facility designed to improve Asia/Pacific Northwest supply chains.

The ability to transload international containers into domestic 53-foot trailers enables customers to achieve overall cost savings (per cubic meter) for domestic distribution, while reducing storage costs related to port demurrage and inland detention, Maersk and CP officials said in a press release.

Supply-chain freight flowing through the facility will be fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) in the retail and lifestyle segment that need quick response capabilities to consumer demand. FMCG will account for 80% to 90% of the facility's volumes, with auto parts representing the remaining 10% to 20%.

Construction of the facility and rail infrastructure was completed last month, with Maersk launching the transloading operation on Sept. 1. The first containers arrived at the facility last week.

CP will shuttle containers from the three major Vancouver container terminals to the Pacific Transload Express facility. CP built the facility on land adjacent to its Vancouver Intermodal Facility to offer optimal transload services with fewer handoffs and better accountability of service, CP officials said.

"We are transforming inbound logistics in North America by reducing transit time variability thanks to CP's premium service and at the same time having a smaller environmental impact and carbon footprint by taking thousands of trucks off the road while leveraging the inherent benefits of moving goods by rail," said CP President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel.