Fednav’s 37,140-dwt Handysize Federal Spey is loading about 30,000 tonnes of Canadian durum wheat at the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba, marking the Canadian Arctic gateway’s first grain export since 2020, according to Arctic Gateway Group.
The cargo was supplied by Saskatchewan-based AGT Foods and is destined for customers in Europe. It is the first of three grain shipments expected to use Churchill this season under a new commercial relationship between Arctic Gateway Group and AGT Foods that is expected to continue in future years.
Grain for the programme began moving north from The Pas, Manitoba, on the Hudson Bay Railway on 17 July, the first grain traffic over the corridor since 2020.
Federal Spey is a 2012-built, Marshall Islands-flagged Handysize with 1C ice class. The vessel arrived at Churchill on 27 August. The shipment restores grain exports through Churchill after a six-year gap. The port closed in 2016, while flooding and washouts shut the Hudson Bay Railway to the community in 2017. Arctic Gateway Group acquired the railway, port and Churchill Marine Tank Farm assets in 2018 and subsequently restored the corridor.
Arctic Gateway Group Limited Partnership is an Indigenous- and community-owned Manitoba transportation and logistics company.
The Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay Railway are owned through OneNorth, a partnership of 29 First Nations and 12 northern communities, and operated by Arctic Gateway Group.
Fednav is a Montreal-based Canadian dry-bulk shipping company operating more than 130 owned and chartered vessels.