HALIFAX,
Sept. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -
Claude Mongeau, president and chief
executive officer of CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI), said today CN's
supply chain collaboration agenda and commitment to Operational and
Service Excellence can support growth at the Port of Halifax and make the railway's and port's
common customers more competitive in their end markets.
Mongeau, speaking to the Halifax Chamber of Commerce/Port Days 2013,
said CN's collaboration agreements with the Halifax Port Authority
and its two container terminal operators, Halterm Container
Terminal Ltd. and Cerescorp Company Ltd., are "creating faster and
more reliable supply chains, demonstrating the benefits of teamwork
and generating positive responses from international shipping lines
and their customers."
The agreements dating back to 2010 were the first signed by CN,
which has similar ones with all of Canada's major ports and their terminal
operators. The agreements contain clear standards and performance
measurement mechanisms for the railway and its partners.
Mongeau said the Port of Halifax/CN partnership faces significant
competitive pressures from other ports and vessel routing options,
including New York, which enjoys a
large hinterland market and highly competitive sea and land
distances between Asia and inland
points.
"We have to work hard to compete, but we also have a strong
suit: a solid eco-system of collaboration, an end-to-end view
of the supply chains we serve, and access to markets with the
potential to grow."
Mongeau said temperature-sensitive cargo is one such growth
opportunity. "The Port of Halifax
is well equipped to handle Cool Cargo, with over 1,000 reefer plugs
now, compared to 500 just a few years ago. This has been a major
effort at the Port to put Halifax
in the big leagues for reefer traffic. CN has also invested
significantly in new generator sets on containers, with GPS and
remote-monitoring capability."
Mongeau concluded: "With a strong partnership anchored on
innovation and a commitment to continuous improvement and increased
productivity, CN and Halifax can
have a bright future together."
About CN
CN (TSX: CNR)(NYSE: CNI) is a true backbone of the economy,
transporting approximately C$250
billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business
sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to
consumer goods, across a rail network spanning Canada and mid-America. CN - Canadian National
Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries --
serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince
Rupert, B.C., Montreal,
Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of
Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis., and
Jackson, Miss., with connections
to all points in North America.
For more information on CN, visit the company's website at
www.cn.ca.
SOURCE CN