Canpotex, short for Canadian Potash Exporters , is a Canadian

potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

exporting and marketing firm, incorporated in 1970 and operating since 1972. Based in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canpotex manages the entire Saskatchewan potash exporting industry (excluding Canadian and US sales), including transportation and delivery. Canpotex is the world's largest exporter of

potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

, selling over 13 million tonnes of potash every year, representing about one-third of global capacity. The global potash market was considered a

duopoly A duopoly (from Greek , ; and , ) is a type of oligopoly where two firms have dominant or exclusive control over a market, and most (if not all) of the competition within that market occurs directly between them. Duopoly is the most commonly ...

between Canpotex and Belarusian Potash Company (BPC), a similar consortium which exported Belarusian ( Belaruskali) and Russian potash ( Uralkali); until the BPC marketing venture failed in 2013, the two collectively controlled 70% of global potash exports.

History

Canpotex's predecessor was Canada's Potash Conservation Board. The Board was established in 1969, which was a time when prices were dropping significantly in the North American potash market, and the Board's goal was to limit production and establish minimum prices.

Member producers

Canpotex is wholly owned by its two Shareholders: * The Mosaic Company 50% *

Nutrien Nutrien is a Canadian fertilizer company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is the largest producer of potash, second largest producer of nitrogen fertilizer in the world and generally the 2nd largest in fertilizers worldwide. It has over 2,0 ...

50%

Facilities

Canpotex has commissioned over 8,000 specialized covered hopper cars for inland transportation of potash from landlocked Saskatchewan to ports, and operates solely on

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

lines. In 2011, Canpotex started on the construction of a new $55 million rail car maintenance yard near the town of

Lanigan, Saskatchewan Lanigan (pop. 1,300) is a town in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada, at the intersection of Yellowhead Highway, Trans-Canada Yellowhead Saskatchewan Highway 16, Highway 16 and Highway 20, approximately east of Saskatoon and north of Regina ...

used to perform maintenance and manage the inventory of railcars. The majority of its potash is shipped overseas to

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

n, and Oceanic markets through Neptune Terminals, partly owned by Canpotex, in North Vancouver,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Since 1997, Canpotex has additionally exported through Portland Terminals (owned by Canpotex and operated by

Kinder Morgan Kinder Morgan, Inc. is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. The company specializes in owning and controlling oil and gas pipelines and terminals. Kinder Morgan owns an interest in or operates approximately ...

) in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. Canpotex additionally ships smaller quantities of potash through the St. Lawrence Seaway via

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, and has access to ports on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

Ships

Canpotex has committed $900 million to the manufacture of 15 cargo vessels. The first of these vessels, the '' U-Sea Saskatchewan'', built as a joint venture with Ultrabulk received its first load of 58,000 metric tons of potash in the Port of Vancouver in November 2010. The ''U-Sea Saskatchewan'' was built by

Imabari Shipbuilding is a major Japanese ship building, marine engineering, and service company headquartered in Imabari, Ehime, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is Japan's largest shipbuilder both in terms of tonnage and sales revenue, with design, researc ...

of Japan and is capable of carrying 60,000 metric tons. Other ships include the '' Ultra Colonsay''.

References

{{Saskatoon Corporations Companies based in Saskatoon Transport companies of Canada