Maritime industry | QSL and the new global logistics

The main entry and exit points for goods and services in North America have exposed their fragility during the pandemic. The Quebec company QSL saw a great business opportunity. It has since sought to offer new options in maritime logistics. Explanations.

“Maritime logistics is transforming around the world,” says Robert Bellisle, President and CEO of QSL.

The businessman recalls that, during the pandemic, the four main gateways to North America (East and West coasts, St. Lawrence River and Gulf of Mexico) experienced failures.

At the height of the health crisis, for example, there were 125 days of waiting at the port of Los Angeles, he says.

Present in 66 terminals on the East Coast (from Newfoundland to the Mississippi River), QSL is currently in growth mode.

Growth

To finance its many projects, it is currently changing hands. Founded in 1978 and owned by Denis Dupuis, the Quebec company will come under the control of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and iCON Infrastructure, a British investment company.

QSL, which has 2,000 employees and whose revenues are close to half a billion, has just announced two major projects.

The most recent is in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia. This is an old place where there were bulk activities. QSL, which has signed a 10-year lease, is renovating and redeveloping the location to make it, among other activities, a staging area for components used in offshore wind turbines.

QSL is also currently working on the redevelopment and change of use of a former pulp and paper mill in Marathon, a town located halfway between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay, Ontario. “We work in collaboration with the City of Marathon and an indigenous group which owns the land. We are thus adding a new economic corridor,” explains Robert Bellisle.

“All shipowners,” he said, “are now taking stakes in logistics companies. There are new supply issues. There is no longer anything certain for manufacturers. We are becoming a leading player. »

Global issue

Consequently, key players in international trade no longer want to “put all their eggs in one basket”, believes the QSL boss. Hence this desire to rethink maritime transport and logistics in the four corners of the world.

QSL positions itself as a major supply chain player in port terminal operations, stevedoring, marine services, logistics and road transportation (it has its own truck fleet) throughout North America . Year in, year out, it handles more than 26 million tonnes of bulk goods, in cargo and containers.

Ambitious, the company, which has practically doubled its revenues over the past six years, keeps both feet on the ground. “You have to keep the balance between dreaming and managing. This is the challenge of a growing business. We must not lose what we have acquired,” maintains Robert Bellisle.