Port of Montreal updates on lockout

MONTREAL, July 20, 2010 (Press Release) - The Montreal Port Authority reports the situation at the Port of Montreal following the labour dispute between the Maritime Employers Association and its longshore labour force as follows:

● The Maritime Employers Association is maintaining its lockout.

● There are no incidents to report.

● The road entrances to the Port are being picketed by members of the Longshoremen's Union.

● Freight car movement to and from the Port has been suspended.

● Rail traffic inside the Port was suspended.

● There is no vessel requiring the work of longshoremen for its operation in the Port.

● The grain terminal can receive bulk cargo by water but cannot ship by vessel.

● Cargo in the terminals is not being handled.

About the Port of Montreal

The Port of Montreal is a major diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods - non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. It is a leading container port served by 7 of the 10 largest container shipping lines in the world. Close to 1,250,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) were handled at the Port of Montreal in 2009, representing 11,266,000 tonnes of cargo.

The Port of Montreal owns its own rail network, operated directly on the piers. It is connected to the two nationwide railways and a highway system. The Port also operates its own grain terminal and a marine passenger terminal that welcomed 47,534 passengers and crew members in 2009. All the other terminals are operated by private stevedoring firms. Port activity supports 18,200 jobs and generates $1.5 billion in economic spin-offs per year.

[Editor's note: The Port of Montreal reported 2009 forest products shipment volume of 1.468 million tonnes outbound and 188,000 tonnes inbound. Forest products represented the port's largest containerized commodity.]