MONTREAL -- The Quebec government’s temporary closure of non-essential businesses has not yet caused the Port of Montreal to accumulate a backlog of containers, the Montreal Port Authority said on Friday.
If the situation were to change, Port Authority management said that it still has room to manoeuvre. Possible solutions are also being explored to find other storage sites if necessary.
The Montreal Port Authority said that despite the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 crisis, all of the Port of Montreal terminals are open and operations are functioning at full capacity, while respecting the health of workers. Container docks and docking times for trucks at terminals remain normal.
The port's longshore worker's union is asking its members to check the registers for equipment disinfection before each shift or during equipment changes. Union members are also asked to comply with public health hygiene guidelines and to disinfect their work space.
A longshoreman from the Port of Montreal tested positive for COVID-19 last week, which forced activities at the busy port to cease from Friday night through to Saturday morning.
Because of guidelines issued by Transport Canada, all cruise ships with more than 500 passengers are cancelled until July 1 and the borders are closed for all non-Canadian travellers. No cruise ships are expected at the Port of Montreal before July 1.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2020.
