Posted on March 26, 2025
Canada’s largest port entered 2025 on the heels of a stellar year highlighted by as much cargo handled by the next five Canadian largest ports combined.
Newly-released statistics from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPF) show a record 158 million metric tonnes (MMT) moved through the Pacific gateway hub in 2024. The 5% increase year-over-year was led by strong performances in the auto, bulk and container sectors. Generally speaking, Vancouver arguably possesses the most diversified cargo base of any port in North America.
Approximately 80% of the international trade the port enabled in 2024 was Canadian trade with countries other than the US. The top trading partners that shipped goods through the port were China (46 MMT), Japan (19 MMT) and South Korea (18 MMT). Trade to the US through the port increased to 7% of total cargo moved (10 MMT), driven by increased petroleum exports via Westridge terminal.
Putting the cargo performance in perspective, Peter Xotta, president and CEO of the VFPA, remarked: “The Port of Vancouver continues to drive Canadian prosperity—enabling seamless trade with up to 170 nations across the globe and supporting countless well-paying family jobs across the nation.
“The Port of Vancouver stands ready to support efforts to diversify Canada’s international trade and build a strong, resilient national economy. We will continue partnering with governments and industry to plan and deliver the long-term capacity needed to support trade through the gateway—in support of all Canadians.
“The strength of our gateway shone bright last year with the port moving record volumes despite a challenging environment that included numerous disruptions,” Xotta said, adding “in 2024, our supply chain flexed but never broke.”
The challenges faced by the port community in 2024 included impacts from climate change and extreme weather such as wildfires, increasing local and global geopolitical tensions, as well as waterfront labor disputes.
In 2024, the bulk sector’s strong performance led the way, with volumes up 8% to 117.9 MMT, including record liquid bulk exports, up 203% to 17.1 MMT, as the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline and Westridge terminal unlocked new markets across Asia for Canadian petroleum products. Petroleum exports through the port almost quadrupled to 15 MMT in 2024, while canola oil exports almost doubled to 0.9 MMT.
There were near-record exports of Canadian grain, up 1% to 29 MMT, as port operators and favourable weather meant Canadian farmers were able to serve strong international demand for their crops. Fertilizer (down 4% to 12 MMT) and coal (down 2% to 42 MMT) exports remained stable.
“Trans Mountain’s expansion coming into operation last May was a significant milestone for Canada and the port—adding export capacity and opening up new opportunities for Canadian producers,” Xotta said. “More than half of crude oil exports through the port since May went to Indo-Pacific markets. Our Active Vessel Traffic Management program helped support a safe and seamless ramp-up of tanker traffic, while ensuring the reliability and fluidity of other vital port sectors such as grain weren’t impacted.”
A record of almost 470,000 vehicles were handled by auto terminals in 2024, as imports through the port helped meet strong Canadian consumer demand for new vehicles. Nearly 100% of Canada’s Asian-manufactured vehicle imports arrive via the Port of Vancouver, with recent work to optimize the Annacis Auto Terminal increasing capacity by one-third and ensuring the port is well-placed to handle market growth.
Container Business Back to pre-COVID Growth Levels
Container trade recovered throughout 2024, with the Port of Vancouver returning to pre-pandemic growth trends following several tumultuous years that included a pandemic-era surge in consumer demand and numerous supply chain disruptions. The port’s four container terminals handled 3.47 million TEUs in 2024—up 11% compared to 2023 and 2% compared to 2019.
Imports (laden inbound) grew 14%, as retailers restocked inventories and volumes shifted to the west coast due to disruptions to the Red Sea trade route. Exports (laden outbound) grew 5% as Canadian businesses continued to rely on containers to ship their goods to markets across the globe. Containerized exports through the port went to 128 different countries in 2024.
“Containerized trade at the Port of Vancouver approached record levels in 2024, with terminals handling the highest volume ever outside of the pandemic,” Xotta said. “Containerized trade continues to play an increasingly important role connecting Canadians and our businesses to markets across the world, moving everything from imports of vehicle parts, food and consumer electronics to exports of B.C. seafood and Prairie specialty grain.”
Status of the $3.5 billion project to build a three-berth container terminal at Roberts Bank? “We are excited to continue progressing Roberts Bank Terminal 2—one of Canada’s most important trade-enabling infrastructure projects,” Jane Banham, director of trade development, told AJOT. “We submitted a Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act Authorization for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 last October, an important step towards delivering the trade capacity Canada requires through a new container terminal in Delta, B.C.”
Banham indicated: “Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will increase trade capacity by more than 30% on Canada’s west coast, enable an estimated $100 billion in trade every year and generate more than 17,000 ongoing supply chain jobs.”
Early 2025 Dwell Times and Fluidity
Meanwhile, the Port of Vancouver is continuing to work through elevated on-dock container dwell times in early 2025, as inclement winter weather across much of Canada temporarily leads to increased turnaround times for rail, impacting overall railcar availability on the west coast.
Container dwell times at the Port of Vancouver started trending up late last year, attaining 6.9 days in average rail container dwell times in December from 4.5 days in October. This was due to a combination of factors, including last November’s longshore labour disruption, terminal closures over the holiday period and railway winter programs with shorter trains. Inbound container volumes at the port continued to stay above seasonal averages throughout January and February as poor weather in Asia coincided with the pre-Lunar New Year rush.
“We are in regular communication with terminal operators, railways and port users to effectively work together and process vessels as soon as possible,” Banham said.
Monitoring the Trump Tariff War
Contacted by AJOT as the news broke of 25% tariffs launched by the Trump administration on imports from Canada, Banham pointed out: “The Port of Vancouver is a critical access point to markets outside the US — connecting Canada with up to 170 nations and moving $300 billion in trade every year. About 80% of Canada’s international trade through the port is with markets outside the US, most of which are in the Indo-Pacific region.
“As the government agency overseeing the Port of Vancouver—which handles about $1 in every $3 of Canada’s international trade beyond North America—the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is well-positioned to partner with government to help mitigate the impact of potential U.S. tariffs on Canada. We continue to monitor the situation and work with our government and industry partners to protect Canada and Canadians.”
