Americold Realty Trust, a global leader in temperature-controlled logistics, real estate, and value-added services focused on the ownership, operation, acquisition, and development of temperature-controlled warehouses has announced plans to develop a cold storage facility for its first Import-Export Hub in Canada at Port Saint John in New Brunswick. This facility will be the first of its kind globally to bring together Americold warehouse solutions with the maritime logistics capabilities of DP World and the rail logistics solutions of Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
“Developing a state-of-the-art facility in Port Saint John marks an exciting step forward for Americold as the Company expands into a strategically compelling geography serving high-volume international routes, providing unparalleled opportunities for integration with our premier partners in DP World and CPKC. Port Saint John has been the beneficiary of significant investments in recent years from both DP World and CPKC, and the infrastructure they have built has attracted major global shipping lines to this location. We are confident the opportunity for Americold to bring world-class cold storage and value-added services to the Port – and to enhance food flows primarily between Central and Eastern Canada and Europe, South America, and the APAC region – represents an attractive path to long-term value creation for both our customers and our shareholders.”
George Chappelle, Chief Executive Officer, Americold
“We are excited to build on our successful strategic collaboration with Americold and DP World with this new facility in Port Saint John as we build a unique North American cold chain. Our growing collaboration with Americold, which started in Kansas City and is developing in both Canada and Mexico, continues to bring new supply chain solutions to the market for our customers shipping a range of food and other products across Canada, the United States, and Mexico using CPKC’s fleet of refrigerated containers. Our strategic purchase of the Central, Maine & Quebec Railway and our operational success working with JD Irving’s NBM Railways has extended our reach to Port Saint John and put another value-creating destination on the CPKC map.”
Keith Creel, President and Chief Executive Officer, CPKC
“Our partnership with Americold and CPKC to develop an innovative cold chain Import + Export Hub at Port Saint John in New Brunswick reflects our shared commitment to transforming supply chain efficiency and sustainability. This investment by Americold represents a significant milestone in our joint mission to create seamless, end-to-end logistics solutions that meet the evolving needs of global trade. By leveraging the strengths of our strategic partners, we are enhancing the cold chain infrastructure in Central and Eastern Canada, enabling faster, more reliable, and sustainable connections for food supply chains worldwide.”
Doug Smith, CEO, DP World Canada
“Our extensive infrastructure investments over the past decade have paved the way for leading global partners to thrive in Saint John. We’re thrilled to welcome Americold and further opportunities to create jobs on our waterfront.”
Craig Bell Estabrooks, President & CEO, Port Saint John
Investment
Americold will invest between $75 and $80M to develop this cold storage facility with a conventional import-export hub in Port Saint John, which will provide approximately 22 K pallet positions. This facility will connect Americold with two of its key strategic partners, DP World and CPKC, in one location to provide a more optimized cold chain for food moving between Canada and its global trading partners. It will primarily connect Central and Eastern Canada with Europe, South America, and the APAC region.
Opportunities NB will invest up to $1.01 million in the form of a payroll rebate to assist Americold with the creation of up to 100 jobs by the end of 2029. This expansion will contribute up to $37 million in direct provincial GDP.
“Americold’s expansion in New Brunswick enhances the Port’s capacity to accommodate growing shipping volumes and strengthens its position as Atlantic Canada’s largest port by volume and one of the fastest-growing container ports on the East Coast of North America. The Americold investment will also improve market access for New Brunswick’s exporting companies and create good paying jobs.”
Luke Randall, Minister, NB
A global leader in temperature-controlled logistics, Americold’s cold chain ecosystem plays an integral role in the food supply chain connecting production, distribution, and consumption for many of the largest food companies in the world. Collaboration between Americold and DP World began in 2021 and was formalized in November of 2022 with the signing of a Global Partnership Agreement. Americold and CPKC established a strategic collaboration in June 2023 to optimize temperature-controlled logistics across North America. CPKC connects North American markets with single-line, expedited intermodal freight transportation and a fleet of TempPro temperature-protected intermodal containers for reliable door-to-door transit competitive with over-the-road trucks. These partnerships intend to create unique customer value in the cold chain by leveraging strategic synergies.