Port of Vancouver operations update

July 21, 2021

To Port of Vancouver’s valued customers and stakeholders,

British Columbia’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, declared a provincial state of emergency effective July 21, 2021. The state of emergency applies to the entire province of B.C., for an initial 14-day period and may be extended or rescinded as conditions require. The state of emergency enables federal, provincial and local governments to allocate resources and deliver a coordinated response to protect the public.

A wildfire near the CP mainline between Kamloops and Revelstoke has resulted in evacuation alerts and orders for surrounding communities. CP’s line is currently in service and the fire is not expected to significantly impact railway operations. Fire prevention measures are being undertaken in the area.

Reports indicate that both CN and CP lines are operational with rail activity remaining steady. Ongoing wildfire activity in the B.C. interior, along with increasing winds over the next few days, may require temporary stoppages to rail operations. Railways continue to operate under Ministerial Order (MO) 21-06 requirements, which include targeted speed restrictions, increased equipment inspections, and staging and deployment of additional fire prevention equipment. The Port of Vancouver’s Daily Import Rail On-dock Footage Summary is available on our Port Dashboard:  Import Rail On-dock Footage

All anchorage class assignments are experiencing heightened demand, and availability in both port jurisdiction and the Southern Gulf Islands is limited. Vessels in port (at berth and at anchor) can be viewed on the home page of the PortVan eHub app by selecting “Vessels in Port”.

We continue to monitor the situation on a regular basis; given the recovery progress underway, we will be reducing these updates to three days a week or on an as-needed basis.

Resources:

  • Port import rail on-dock footage summary:Import Rail On-dock Footage  (updated daily Mon-Fri)
  • PortVan eHub app: access real-time insights into Port of Vancouver operations via the port’s mobile app eHub.  Download from the port’s website (eHub) or through the App Store (search for “PortVan eHub” or “Port of Vancouver”)
  • Port dashboard: view updates on import rail performance, truck terminal turn times, and gateway vessel on-time performance through the port’s website (Performance Metrics).
  • Port operations updates: Operations Updates
  • Ministerial Order 21-06 (MO 21-06):  Ministerial Order MO 21-06 (issued July 11, 2021)
  • BC Wildfire Dashboard: BC Wildfire Dashboard

Please feel free to forward this update within your organization.

Thank you for your continued support of the Port of Vancouver.