US WEST coast ports are facing a challenge from their northern neighbours, as the Canadian ports of Prince Rupert and Vancouver look to attract ex-Asia cargo bound for the US Midwest population centres like Chicago, with promises of competitive transit times and greater cost savings.

Extolling the above advantages at the recent Supply and Demand 2010-2012 "New Horizons" conference organised by the Hong Kong Shipping Gazette, Canadian National Railway's (CN) general manager for Asia, Sean Goff, spoke at length about west coast Canadian ports' edge over their counterparts in the US.

For Asian exports headed to US markets such as Chicago, the routing via the Canadian ports help save a few hundred miles. It is cheaper, faster, more competitive and in some cases it beats any other transit time in the market, claimed the CN executive...