Vancouver suffered a severe flood, and the railway and port logistics were completely blocked

When it rains, it pours. This saying is really the most appropriate to describe Canada. Since the wildfires spread in British Columbia at the end of June this year , a village was engulfed by flames and railway transportation was interrupted. Recently, it has suffered from severe floods.

Two days of heavy rain in British Columbia since last weekend have caused severe flooding, leading to the closure of almost all rail lines operated by Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway in the region.

Image source: BC Ministry of Transportation Twitter

At the same time, due to natural disasters such as mudslides and landslides caused by floods in the BC region, all highways in the region are expected to be closed for two to three weeks. The port has also issued an early warning that terminal operations will be interrupted and ships at the port will face delays.

Canada's supply chain will be hit hard with the closure of the Port of Vancouver, with delays increasing for everything from containers to bulk commodities. As of Tuesday evening, 32 ships were already docked at the port , which will lead to a large backlog of goods in the coming weeks.

The Port of Vancouver moves an average of $440 million worth of cargo every day , and the disruption will severely affect shipments of Canadian grains such as wheat and canola, coal, and potash fertilizer. The heavy rains came at a time when the port was handling record-breaking volumes of cargo, reporting a 24% increase in container volume and a 7% increase in total cargo volume in the first six months of 2021.

In this regard, Port of Vancouver spokesperson Matti Polychronis revealed that the management of the Port of Vancouver is working with terminal operators, railways and governments at all levels to assess the possible impact of delays on terminal operations and develop a recovery plan. A grain industry insider said he expects some rail services to be restored before the end of this week, but another industry insider said that the shutdown caused by the flood may last for several weeks.

Image source: Reuters

According to the editor, British Columbia and the northwestern United States often experience extreme weather events, and some experts believe that this is partly due to global warming. Perhaps the word "environmentally friendly" will once again come into the public eye. But now, what we cross-border companies need to do is to pay attention to port dynamics in a timely manner to see if our goods are affected and make corresponding adjustments in a timely manner.

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