Splash247: DP World unifies ports and inland logistics across Canada

Published by Splash247

DP World has rolled out an expanded logistics service across Canada that brings its port, freight forwarding, transport and warehousing operations under a single commercial relationship.

The Integrated Logistics Services offering gives customers one account manager, contract, bill of lading and invoice for cargo moving through multiple parts of DP World’s network, rather than contracting separately for individual transport and logistics services.

The model is already in use. DP World completed its first shipment under the expanded service on July 5, moving cargo from Mississauga, Ontario, to Coquitlam, British Columbia.

The move combined local less-than-truckload transport, rail and final-mile delivery involving three transport providers under a single bill of lading.

The offering also incorporates multimodal movements through DP World’s Salish Sea Gateway in Vancouver, combining shortsea barge services with road, rail, drayage and inland logistics.

DP World has invested C$22m ($16m) in the facility, which was designed to shift freight between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland away from truck-and-ferry routes towards dedicated marine services.

On the digital side, the service runs on Oracle Transportation Management, with API and EDI connectivity and access to tracking platforms including Cargoes Flow, project44 and FourKites.

DP World has been steadily adding the pieces needed for a wider Canadian logistics network. The group currently operates five marine terminals at Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Nanaimo, Fraser Surrey and Saint John, while freight forwarding offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal provide an inland presence. A sixth terminal is being developed at Contrecoeur near Montreal, where planned capacity is around 1.15m teu a year.

Splash reported last month that DP World had also completed a C$9m upgrade at Fraser Surrey, removing a long-standing marine access restriction and potentially adding as much as 2m tonnes a year of export capacity at the British Columbia terminal.