Cargo volumes at the Port of Vancouver were steady in the f irst half of 2024, decreasing less than 1% compared to the same period a year ago , as record international trade was of fset by lower volumes of domestic goods.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s 2024 mid -year statistics show port operators and supply chain partners moved 75.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of trade between January 1 and June 30, 2024—led by strong performances in the container, auto and liquid bulk sectors.
“I want to acknowledge the work of Port of Vancouver terminals and supply chain partners for ensuring trade continues to move ef f iciently and reliably within a challenging environment that includes rising impacts f rom climate change, increasing global geopolitical tensions, and local issues such as wildf ires and labour disputes.”
While it was a record half -year for international trade (foreign traf f ic) through the port—up 3% to 62 MMT—overall cargo volumes handled by the port dipped slightly due to a 15% drop in domestic cargo, in particular volumes of forestry products, sand and gravel.
The liquid bulk and auto sectors led the way—both handling record volumes as upgraded facilities helped boost throughput and pandemic supply chain disruptions resolved:
• A record of almost 250,000 vehicles were handled by the port’s auto terminals, which includes the Annacis Auto Terminal where an optimization project has helped increase capacity by more than onethird.
Nearly 100% of Canada’s Asian-manufactured vehicle imports come through the Port of Vancouver.
• A record 7.0 MMT was moved by the port’s liquid bulk terminals, as the expanded Westridge terminal and Trans Mountain pipeline came into operation in May. Liquid bulk includes canola oil and petroleum products, with volumes expected to continue to grow wit h construction underway on DP World’s new canola oil export f acility in Surrey and Trans Mountain continuing to ramp up its operations.
The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest and most diversif ied port—enabling trade of approximately $300 billion in goods each year with up to 170 countries. A new Economic Impact Study released in August found that port operations sustain 132,400 jobs in the supply chain and other supporting sectors across Canada.
Container volumes at the port largely recovered and stabilized in the f irst half of 2024, following several tumultuous years that included a pandemic-era surge in consumer demand and numerous supply chain disruptions. Imports (laden inbound) grew 19%, as retailers restocked their inventories early in anticipation of potential labour disputes and some volumes appeared to shif t f rom the east coast due to disruptions to the Red Sea trade route, while exports (laden outbound) grew 4% with Canadian businesses increasingly turning to containers to ship their goods to markets across the globe.
“We’re pleased to see the container sector bounce back f rom the correction experienced in 2023, with containerized imports returning to pre-pandemic 2019 growth trends and containerized exports continuing to recover,” said Xotta. “However despite an incredibly strong start to the year, we did see container volumes level of f in late spring due to uncertainty around Canada’s supply chains following natural disasters and ongoing labour disputes. Canada’s wealth is built on trade—and we all benef it f rom working together to ensure our supply chains and reputation are strong, and our country is recognized as a reliable trading partner.”
It was a record mid-year performance for cruise, with 554,546 passengers passing through the Canada Place cruise terminal between March and June 30. This was up 13% on the previous mid-year record of 490,119, set last year.
“Cruise continues to thrive in Vancouver—and this is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the local industry as much as it is to the region’s natural beauty,” said Xotta. “Being a homeport destination where cruise lines base their ships for the Alaska season means benef its are spread throughout the region, f rom local food and beverage suppliers to ship fuel and repair providers to downtown restaurants and hotels.”
The Canada Place cruise terminal recorded its second busiest day ever on April 29 when almost 20,000 passengers passed through the terminal, while f ive of its top-10 busiest days ever occurred over April, May and June this year. The port authority partnered with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in June to launch facial biometrics for cruise—improving the terminal’s ability to move high numbers of cruise passengers ef f iciently, securely and seamlessly.
Dry bulk volumes decreased 6% in the f irst six months of 2024 compared to the same period last year, as last year’s record Canadian commodity export volumes eased due to lower Prairie crop yields, supply chain disruptions and lower global prices. This included grain decreasing 5%, coal decreasing 1% and fertilizer decreasing 10%.
Breakbulk volumes were also down, as an increase in metal imports (up 4% to 0.6 MMT) was of fset by a decline in the volume of forestry products handled, including logs and wood pulp (down 21% to 4.7 MMT) .
Background
• Overall cargo volumes declined 1% to 75.5 MMT, compared to the f irst half of 2023
• Container quantities increased 14% to 1.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEU. Import quantities (inbound laden) increased 19% to 930,300 TEU, while export quantities (outbound laden) increased 4% to 412,100 TEU. Empty container volumes increased 12% to 426,600 TEU.
• Bulk liquid tonnage up 43% to 7.0 MMT. Petroleum product volumes increased 53% to 5.8 MMT and canola oil volumes increased 42% to 0.4 MMT.
• Auto volumes increased 14%, reaching a record of 249,043 units
• Cruise passengers increased 13% to a record 554,546, while cruise ship visits were up 1% at 135
• Bulk dry cargo decreased 6% to 47.7 MMT, including coal down 1% to 21.1 MMT, grain down 5% to 14.1 MMT and fertilizer down 10% to 5.8 MMT
• Breakbulk cargo decreased 14% to 8.0 MMT. Forest products volumes decreased by 21% to 4.7 MMT, while metals increased by 1% to 0.7 MMT
