New short-sea container services are emerging in Canada as terminals and carriers explore ways to reduce trucking and rail use. The Claude A. Desgagnés, a general cargo ship, transported 383 containers on Oct. 20 from the Montreal Gateway Terminals to the Port of Toronto, marking the first cabotage shipment of containers on the route since the early 1980s. The sailing gave shippers an alternative to the tight truck and rail capacity. While MSC has noted that sailing would not be possible in the St Lawrence between late December and late March due to weather conditions, DP World is looking at service between the ports of Nanaimo and Vancouver to include a leg connecting to its newly acquired Fraser Surrey Docks.
