GrainsWest Winter 2021

Winter 2021 Grains West 26 BY GEOFF GEDDES LEAD PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA CONTAINERS Containerized shipments aid Canadian grain export FEATURE THINK INSIDE THE BOX o think outside the box can be good for business as containerized shipping gains popularity in the Canadian grain industry. Though this mode of transport is not without its challenges, more and more shippers see it as a viable alternative to bulk movement. “Containerized shipping of specialty crops has been going on for some time now,” said Doug Mills, senior account representative with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “It came about through the malting industry, as brewers in Japan and China recognized they could get a better handle on quality from the source to the brewery by sending product in smaller batches via containers. This spawned the transloading process, where hopper cars brought malt grains to the coast and offloaded them into shipping containers.” T