INBOUND CONTAINERS SOAR BY 21% AT VANCOUVER

INBOUND CONTAINERS SOAR BY 21% AT VANCOUVER    Strong consumer demand for Asian-produced goods fueled increases in imports at the Canadian port of Vancouver, as it reported a 21-percent jump in loaded import containers for the first half of this year, to 286,305 TEUs.
   On the export side, loaded export containers increased by 9 percent, to 292,449 TEUs, as compared to the first half of 2001.
   “The port of Vancouver achieved a new record in June with the highest number of containers shipped in a single month with 127,176 TEUs shipped, breaking the previous record set in April this year,” said Gordon Houston, president and chief executive officer, Vancouver Port Authority.
   Total container traffic rose by 17 percent in the first half of the year, to 650,016 TEUs.
   For the first time, mainland China surpassed Japan in total containerized tonnage through the port of Vancouver, with 1.4 million tons.
   Contrary to the growth witnessed in the container sector, bulk shipments saw a 17-percent fall in volume at the port, to 26.2 million tons in the first half of the year. Coal, the Canadian port’s largest single commodity, experienced an 18-percent decline in traffic, to 12.2 million tons.
   Total tonnage at the port declined by 13 percent, to 33.5 million tons in the first half of this year.