The Prince Rupert Port may be causing ports on the west coast of the US to lose large portions of their export traffic to Asia. According to reputable industry journal, this has caused some of the US railroad companies to accuse CN Rail of “poaching” their business by offering quicker transportation across the Pacific ocean via Prince Rupert.
The shipping industry magazine The Journal of Commerce reported this month that exports from the cargo port in Seattle plummeted 27.8 per cent in May alone. The port in Tacoma, Washington also saw its exports fall 15.2 per cent. This is part of a much larger decline in traffic for west coast ports in the United States that has been going on for the past year.