Through diversification and record volumes of bulk grain exports, the Port of Vancouver has maintained stable throughput figures. Overall volume decreased slightly to 136 mill. t of cargo, down 1.8 % from 2015. Sectors experiencing declines were offset by others that hit new records.
»One of our biggest strengths has been, and continues to be, the port’s ability to accommodate the most diversified range of cargo of any port in North America,« said Robin Silvester, president and chief executive officer of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. »Since 2013, the Port of Vancouver has experienced its fourth consecutive year of traffic volumes over 135-million-tonnes, despite global economic downturns.«
This is the Port of Vancouver’s third consecutive year of record volumes in bulk grain and its fifth year of an upward trend. Bulk grain export volumes through the port increased 1.3 % from 2015, to reach 21.8 million metric tonnes in 2016. Strong global demand for Canadian agriculture was met with a bumper crop in Canada and increased exports of grain through the Port of Vancouver.
Containerized exports increased by 3.3 % due to growth in woodpulp, grain and food and agri-product shipments. This increase was offset by a 2.4 % decline in loaded import containers, partly due to the return of some traffic to U.S. west coast ports after their 2015 labour dispute, leading to a flat result in overall laden container volumes for 2016.
Decrease in overall TEU
The weak Canadian dollar and a slowdown in industry investment and development activity in western Canada was reflected in the 17.2 % decline in metal and project cargo imports in 2016. A 22 % drop in breakbulk lumber and wood pulp also contributed to a decline in overall import and export breakbulk volumes.
Metallurgical coal volumes increased 1.8 % in 2016 due to a 64.3 % increase in exports to India and sustained demand from Japan, China, and South Korea. Overall coal volumes are down by 6.1 % in 2016, due to a 28.2 % decrease in thermal coal exports.
Containers quantities (measured by TEUs or twenty-foot equivalents) decreased by 4.1 % due, in part, to some cargo shifting back to U.S. terminals after labour instability at U.S. west coast ports in 2014 and 2015 caused an increase in containers handled through Vancouver in the first half of last year.
Overall cargo traded through the Port of Vancouver declined in 2016, posting a 1.8 % decrease in tonnage compared to 2015. Auto volumes increased by 2.3 % compared to 2015, with 393,280 units moved through the port in 2016. Breakbulk cargo declined by 1.4 %, as a 3.8 % increase in domestic traffic was more than offset by decreases in wood pulp (down 22.9 %) and construction and materials (down 28.6 %). These decreases can be attributed, in part, to a shift in moving cargo by containers, and weak industrial activity in western Canada.
