MONTREAL — Canadian National will launch new intermodal service from the Port of Gulfport, Miss., under a new agreement with the state’s port authority.
Test moves from the Gulf Coast port — which specializes in refrigerated cargo such as Dole and Chiquita bananas and other produce — will begin in the next few weeks, CN announced this week.
“We are proud to be partnering with the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport and Ports America to launch this new service,” Dan Bresolin, CN’s intermodal vice president, said in a statement. “It will provide shippers with new ocean connectivity options to move goods between the Gulf Coast, U.S. Midwest, and Canada. By working collaboratively with partners, CN will continue to maximize the use of its capacity in its southern network to accelerate sustainable, profitable growth.”
CN reaches the port via haulage rights over Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s former Kansas City Southern Gulfport Subdivision between Hattiesburg and Gulfport. CPKC, in turn, reaches its isolated Gulfport Sub via trackage rights over CN between Jackson, Miss., and Hattiesburg.
“With CN being the industry leader in refrigerated service and the Port of Gulfport being one of the largest importers of green fruit in the U.S., we see this as a natural fit with great potential,” Rob Kusiciel, chief commercial officer at terminal operator Ports America, said in a statement.
Hurricane Katrina leveled Gulfport’s facilities in 2005. The port is now the third-largest container port on the Gulf of Mexico, among the top 20 U.S. container ports, and the second-largest importer of green fruit in the nation, according to the port authority.
