And you're missing the point entirely if you think any CP interest in Searsport is about containers and intermodal.
Searsport never has been, is not now, and never will be a large intermodal port with thousands of TEU's coming and going by ship and by rail each week. Panamax ships can have a draft as deep as 40 feet. Searsport has a draft of about 30 feet. And ships built to fit the canal aren't even the upper end of container ships as far as size goes. Several carriers are operating ships as deep as 45-50 feet. Sure you can play the tide and add another 10 feet of draft, but you also burn half a day which is an impractical solution when you talk about shipping. Its big bucks to have a huge ship sitting there waiting for the tide to come in, and the larger the ship, the more it costs to sit.
Intermodal and auto operations on the former CM&Q will be anchored in Saint John, as both the intermodal and auto facilities in the city are on the former CP now Irving owned and operated side of the city. However, the bulk facilities are on the CN side, which is where Searsport will prove its value, if it has any to CP. The root of Searsport's value to the railroad has always been oil, and bulk products, liquid and solid. Bulk ships are generally smaller and Searsport already hosts these ships to serve existing terminals there. Oil, slurry and other existing customers in Searsport may have been of some interest to CP, but any serious investment in Searsport will be for the construction of facilities to handle potash and/or grain.
CP, through CM&Q lost its bid to operate potash to Saint John, as the potash terminal in Saint John is on the CN side of the city. While Irving currently leases CN's industrial tracks in Saint John, CN was able to put up a legal blockade of the facility to CP. CP's claim for inter-switching rights failed because their property ended too far from Saint John, outside 150 miles. Irving and CM&Q cannot act as proxies to close the gap. You can speculate that the move to Brownville will allow CP to connect directly to NBSR and put them in range of the potash terminal in Saint John. But Irving's lease on the CN side of the city expires next year, and it sounds like CN is not interested in renewing that contract. In all likelyhood, this will put that off limits to CP.
CP has large contracts with potash suppliers in central Canada and no efficient way to put it on the Atlantic ocean. Which brings us back to Searsport. More than capable of handling the shipping needed for bulk material.
Searsport never has been, is not now, and never will be a large intermodal port with thousands of TEU's coming and going by ship and by rail each week. Panamax ships can have a draft as deep as 40 feet. Searsport has a draft of about 30 feet. And ships built to fit the canal aren't even the upper end of container ships as far as size goes. Several carriers are operating ships as deep as 45-50 feet. Sure you can play the tide and add another 10 feet of draft, but you also burn half a day which is an impractical solution when you talk about shipping. Its big bucks to have a huge ship sitting there waiting for the tide to come in, and the larger the ship, the more it costs to sit.
Intermodal and auto operations on the former CM&Q will be anchored in Saint John, as both the intermodal and auto facilities in the city are on the former CP now Irving owned and operated side of the city. However, the bulk facilities are on the CN side, which is where Searsport will prove its value, if it has any to CP. The root of Searsport's value to the railroad has always been oil, and bulk products, liquid and solid. Bulk ships are generally smaller and Searsport already hosts these ships to serve existing terminals there. Oil, slurry and other existing customers in Searsport may have been of some interest to CP, but any serious investment in Searsport will be for the construction of facilities to handle potash and/or grain.
CP, through CM&Q lost its bid to operate potash to Saint John, as the potash terminal in Saint John is on the CN side of the city. While Irving currently leases CN's industrial tracks in Saint John, CN was able to put up a legal blockade of the facility to CP. CP's claim for inter-switching rights failed because their property ended too far from Saint John, outside 150 miles. Irving and CM&Q cannot act as proxies to close the gap. You can speculate that the move to Brownville will allow CP to connect directly to NBSR and put them in range of the potash terminal in Saint John. But Irving's lease on the CN side of the city expires next year, and it sounds like CN is not interested in renewing that contract. In all likelyhood, this will put that off limits to CP.
CP has large contracts with potash suppliers in central Canada and no efficient way to put it on the Atlantic ocean. Which brings us back to Searsport. More than capable of handling the shipping needed for bulk material.