By Sumayya
WINNIPEG — The owners of Manitoba’s Port of Churchill say they are working with DP World Inc., a company based in Dubai, to potentially increase shipping traffic at the Arctic port.
The Indigenous-owned company Arctic Gateway Group says the agreement it has signed with DP World focuses on how the port is run and possibly building a transportation pathway that connects Manitoba to international markets.
This supply chain agreement also includes CentrePort Canada, which is an inland shipping hub located next to the Winnipeg airport, as well as the Hudson Bay Railway that connects that hub to the Port of Churchill.
No specific financial or dollar investment promises were announced with the agreement.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has strongly supported growing the Port of Churchill. This growth would include building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export center that could cost more than $70 billion to construct.
The port has handled very little shipping traffic over the last few years. However, it has seen new interest as Canada looks to find new trade pathways and as melting sea ice lengthens the time that ships can travel through the area each year.
