More Fallout

 I seem to have missed a news item from mid-January, that was not widely reported (nor apparently announced officially). It is that the Mediterranean Shipping company MSC, the world's largest container line, - will be investing in the PSA Halifax operations, by taking a minority equity position. PSA Halifax operates both the Fairview Cove and South End Container Terminals in Halifax, and MSC is currently the major customer at the latter facility, which they call PSA Halifax, Atlantic Hub.

Whether this investment has anything to do with the recently announced Maersk / Hapag-Lloyd joint venture called Gemini Cooperation (to take effect a year from now) is not known. The aim of that new scheme includes a high degree of reliability and on time performance which may be encouraging other lines to do the same.

 MSC currently has five lines running through Halifax (although not all lines call here on every trip). It is also rumoured that MSC may be reducing the number of calls in some of the other Canadian ports  - namely Saint John, Corner Brook and Montreal.

That may happen, according to some sources, when the current rail expansion is completed in the South End Terminal later this year. That project, which will expand in-terminal trackage from 8,000 feet to 14,000 feet, is well underway with new buildings, and new container storage areas under construction. Work has now started on the rail lines. Some new equipment will also be acquired to serve the new track, such as rubber tired gantries (RTGs) to replace the current diesel units with larger, electric ones. 

It also appears that at least one, if not both of the new Super Post Panamax container cranes that were delivered in November 2023, are now in service. (Both are shown in the photo above.)

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