Canada’s Port of Vancouver bolstered by container, grain shipments

The Western Canadian port handled a record 142.1 million metric tons of cargo in 2017, with containerized cargo and bulk grain movements hitting new highs.    A record 142.1 million metric tons of cargo moved through Canada’s Port of Vancouver in 2017, a 5 percent increase from 2016, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority revealed Thursday.
   Both containerized cargo and bulk grain movements hit new highs last year.
   Overall container traffic increased 11 percent from 2016 to reach 3.3 million TEUs. The port handled 1.7 million TEUs of loaded inbound containers, up 11 percent from 2016, and 1.1 million TEUs of loaded outbound containers, about the same as in 2016. However, the port handled 46 percent more empty containers than in 2016, most of which were outbound.
   Robin Silvester, president and chief executive officer at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said the volumes reflected the strength of the Canadian economy in 2017, and the port’s ability to accommodate a diverse range of cargo.
   He added investments are being made to increase the port’s container capacity.
   Currently, the port is called by 20 liner services that sail to regions outside of North America, 16 of which are fully cellular container services, two open hatch services, one multi-purpose service, and one pure car/truck carrier service, according to BlueWater Reporting‘s Port Dashboard tool.
   The largest containerships calling the port serve on THE Alliance’s transpacific PN3, with the loop’s vessel size averaging 13,219 TEUs, according to BlueWater Reporting. 
   A record 23.6 million metric tonnes of grain, 8 percent more than in 2016, moved through Vancouver in 2017, the fourth consecutive year of record grain shipments.
  Breakbulk volumes were up 2 percent from 2016, while a record year for auto sales in Canada caused automobile volumes to rise 9 percent.