VANCOUVER RECORDS 27-PERCENT ANNUAL RISE IN BOX TRAFFIC

VANCOUVER RECORDS 27-PERCENT ANNUAL RISE IN BOX TRAFFIC    Container volumes at the Canadian port of Vancouver increased from 1.15 million TEUs in 2001 to a record 1.46 million TEUs last year, an increase of 27 percent.
   The increase was driven by a 39-percent jump in the volume of loaded import containers, to 685,845 TEU.
   “For the first time at the port of Vancouver, full imports exceeded full exports,” a spokesman for the port said.
   Loaded export containers were up 10 percent, to 595,503 TEUs, owing largely to containerized shipments of wood pulp to China, South Korea and Indonesia.
   “Continued strong domestic consumer demand, coupled with Vancouver's status as an alternative gateway, fueled container increases to new records,” said Gordon Houston, president and chief executive officer of the port of Vancouver.
   The Canadian port also benefitted from some cargo diversion in October because of the labor dispute that affected all U.S. West Coast ports.
   “By 2020, we forecast that container volumes will continue to grow to more than four million TEUs annually, while creating more than 50,000 new jobs,” Houston said.
   However, total tonnage through the port of Vancouver was down 14 percent last year, to 62.8 million tons. Dry bulk shipments declined by 22 percent, to 41.2 million tons. Shipments of coal, Vancouver's single largest commodity, were 23 million tons, off 15 percent from the previous year. Liquid bulk volumes increased 3 percent to 6.4 million tons, while petroleum shipments increased 13 percent to 4.1 million tons. Total chemical volumes remained even with last year's numbers with 2.3 million tons shipped.