agricultural fertilizer

Fertilizer shippers seek carrier reforms to address supply chain snags

Tank cars at rail yard

Fertilizer shippers are pressuring the Biden administration for transportation-related changes they say will help lower their costs and make them more competitive in world markets.

The industry’s recommendations, which include regulatory and other changes affecting trucking, rail and maritime, were in response to an information request published earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) in which the agency asked for help identifying issues...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fertilizer-shippers-seek-carrier-reforms-to-address-supply-chain-snags

Fertilizer maker faults Union Pacific’s plan to reduce congestion

A Union Pacific locomotive hauls a hopper car and tank cars.

Fertilizer producer CF Industries is criticizing Union Pacific’s plan to reduce the number of railcars on UP’s network in order to reduce congestion, saying the measure would result in delays to customers’ shipments during the spring application season.

CF Industries, a Deerfield, Illinois-based manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products, also said it would be unable to accept new sales involving UP (NYSE: UNP) for the foreseeable future.

UP said Monday in a service update that it would be...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fertilizer-maker-faults-union-pacifics-plan-to-reduce-congestion

CP shuts down rail service amid labor dispute

Canadian Pacific began a “structured shutdown” of its rail service across Canada after a breakdown in talks with the Teamsters union on Saturday led to a work stoppage by 3,000 train engineers, conductors and yard workers.

The union and railroad management blamed each other for causing the shutdown that places more pressure on U.S.-Canadian agriculture markets already straining from pandemic-related issues.

“We are very disappointed with this turn of events,” Dave Fulton, spokesperson for the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cp-shuts-down-rail-service-amid-labor-dispute

North Dakota senator, trade groups seek to prevent Canadian Pacific strike

U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., is urging Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene and prevent a strike at Canadian Pacific that could start on Wednesday, according to a Tuesday letter.

Cramer said a strike by members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference working at CP (NYSE: CP) would have a “profound impact” on Canadian-American freight movements, particularly fertilizer shipments and Gulf Coast-bound Alberta heavy crude.

“Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner. At a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/north-dakota-senator-trade-groups-seek-to-prevent-canadian-pacific-strike

Ship captain, owner sought in Port of Beirut explosion case

Arrest warrants have been issued for the Russian captain and owner of the vessel that carried the ammonium nitrate believed to have caused the massive Port of Beirut explosion.

Al Jazeera said the final tally was 193 people dead, 6,500 wounded and 300,000 homeless as a result of the Aug. 4 blast, blamed on 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a Port of Beirut warehouse.

The ammonium nitrate, used in agricultural fertilizer, was destined for Mozambique in 2013. But the MV Rhosus...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ship-captain-owner-sought-in-port-of-beirut-explosion-case