About $1 in every $3 of Canada’s trade in goods beyond North America moves through the Port of Vancouver.
The Port of Vancouver plays a critical role in Canada’s trade
Canada’s economic prosperity relies on being able to get goods and resources to and from other markets efficiently and reliably.
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Containers transformed global trade in the 1950s
The introduction of standardized shipping containers made shipping more efficient. As a result, the use of containers to move a wide variety of goods gained popularity.
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A steadily growing volume of Canada’s international trade moves through the Port of Vancouver in containers each year.
Importers and exporters prefer moving their goods in containers because they:
Reduce the risk of damage or contamination to cargo, and can be temperature controlled, allowing for the safe shipment of high quality goods. Are a cost effective way to send cargo. Can carry almost any type of cargo safely and securely around the world. Have a standardized design and are sturdy and reusable. Can be easily moved between different modes of transportation including truck, train and ship.
Inside an import container
Containers entering Canada through the Port of Vancouver carry a wide variety of goods. These include items such as clothing, electronics, food, auto parts, manufacturing parts, furniture and household goods.
Inside an export container
Export containers destined for overseas markets such as Asia are loaded with a range of Canadian goods, including, pulp, lumber, crops such as lentils and legumes, grain, fruits, and specialty items like craft beer.
Containers,
a collaborative effort
The container supply chain has many participants including cargo owners, ship owners, freight forwarders, truckers, trains, and other service providers.
Bringing coffee to Canada
Meet Susan, a cargo owner in Asia, who wants to get her goods to North America. She sends her coffee beans on a container ship.
Her coffee beans arrive at one of four container terminals at the Port of Vancouver:
Centerm, Vanterm, Deltaport or Fraser Surrey Docks.
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Once the container gets to the Port of Vancouver, it moves off the terminal by truck or train.
Her coffee beans may travel from the container terminal by truck to a transload facility, where they are unpacked from their original container. They are then loaded to a larger container for delivery to a local business, or to a rail facility to travel by train to other North American destinations.
From the container terminal, the coffee beans may also travel by rail to other parts of Canada or the U.S.
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The Port of Vancouver is served by three Class 1 railways: CN, Canadian Pacific, and BNSF
Canadians can now get Susan's coffee beans at their local coffee shops and grocery stores.
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Learn more about how the Port of Vancouver connects people through coffee.
Moving beer to Asia
Meet Frank. Frank is a brewer based in Manitoba who wants to get his beer to Asia.
Frank works with a freight forwarder to put his beer in a container and then on a train, destined for the West Coast.
The beer is unloaded from the rail container at an export stuffing facility in the Lower Mainland. It is loaded into smaller marine containers and delivered by truck to a container terminal at the Port of Vancouver.
At the terminal, the container is unloaded from the truck and loaded onto a ship destined for Asia.
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Three of the four container terminals at the Port of Vancouver have extended operating hours, easing congestion for truck drivers and local communities.
Once it reaches its final destination, Frank's beer can be enjoyed by thirsty overseas customers.
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Learn more about how the Port of Vancouver connects Canadian beer to international markets.
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- EXISTING TERMINALS
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- PROPOSED TERMINALS
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- South Fraser Perimiter Road
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- Roberts Bank Corridor
Delivering a strong future
The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port. The port authority, terminals, rail and truck companies, and many others work together to get goods where they need to go, efficiently and reliably on behalf of all Canadians.
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