Arctic Gateway Group (AGG), CentrePort Canada and DP World Canada have signed an MoU to pursue trade growth opportunities for the Port of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada.
The agreement focuses on port operations, logistics services and the potential development of an integrated transport corridor linking the port, the Hudson Bay Railway, CentrePort Canada and DP World’s global logistics network.
According to AGG, Manitoba’s trade and transport infrastructure is attracting growing national and international interest. CentrePort Canada has attracted approximately C$1.5 billion in private investment and is home to more than 1,000 companies. More than 3.5m sq ft of industrial space has been built or is under construction there over the past eight years.
“The Port of Churchill is shipping the most diverse range of commodities in its history, including critical minerals, grain, potash and northern supply to Nunavut, with active conversations underway on driving private sector investment to further modernise and grow exports. With the expertise and investment interest from proven, global port operator DP World, which handles over one million TEU in Canada annually, Manitoba’s key inland and coastal ports are poised for even further growth. This includes the potential to connect Europe and Asia intermodally through Canada to establish new, secure and trusted trade options,” AGG said in a statement.
AGG is an Indigenous- and community-owned Manitoba company that owns and operates the Port of Churchill, Canada’s only Arctic seaport served by rail, and the Hudson Bay Railway, which runs from The Pas to Churchill. CentrePort Canada is a 20,000-acre inland port and foreign trade zone.
The Port of Churchill is a seasonal deep-water Arctic port with a rail connection to the North American rail network. Churchill has previously been discussed as a potential container port. More than fifteen years ago, WorldCargo News reported on a plan by the Province of Manitoba to develop a “Northern Gateway” for container traffic flowing into North America via the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Gateway was proposed to handle Chinese imports transported by rail to Murmansk via Moscow and then shipped to the Port of Churchill.
One of the biggest obstacles to this plan, however, was the state of the rail line between Churchill and Winnipeg. In 1997, US short line operator OmniTRAX had purchased the Port of Churchill and the 627-mile-long Hudson Bay rail line that connects it to Winnipeg from the Canadian National Railroad, assuming responsibility for line maintenance in the process. After flooding forced the rail line to close in 2017, OmniTRAX declined its duty to repair the line and tried to find a buyer for the assets.
The rail line is the only land link to Churchill from Winnipeg (there is no road). In 2018, OmniTrax sold the port and rail line to the Arctic Gateway Group, a public/private partnership comprised of Missinippi Rail Limited Partnership, Fairfax Financial Holdings and AGT Limited.
There has been talk of a federal plan to develop the port to handle LNG exports since 2018, but the cost of the infrastructure was previously deemed financially unviable. The winds have shifted, however. An active port in the Arctic could also help Canada unlock its vast mineral wealth. There are already steps in this direction. In 2024, the Port of Churchill shipped 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate from mines in Flin Flon, Manitoba.
In 2025, the Federal Government allocated C$43m to restore the rail line, and the Province of Manitoba put up C$36.4m towards the cost of infrastructure work at the port.
In March 2026, AGG and Port of Antwerp-Bruges International (POABI) signed an agreement to develop trade, collaboration and investment opportunities between the Port of Churchill and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium. The agreement provides for the exchange of information on port infrastructure, connectivity and logistics solutions, as well as strategic discussions on Churchill’s long-term development. The parties also aim to explore trade flows between Churchill, Antwerp-Bruges and the wider European market, and identify funding opportunities for joint studies and trade initiatives.
In September this year, AGG signed a partnership agreement with the Port of Rotterdam, focusing on developing new trade in critical minerals and energy products.