Port busier than ever
Daisy Xiong / Business in Vancouver – Mar 9, 2026 / 6:34 pm | Story: 602777
Photo: Rob Kruyt, BIV
Container cargo moving through the Port of Vancouver’s Centerm terminal
The Port of Vancouver saw record cargo volumes in 2025, driven by strong growth to and from the Indo-Pacific region.
The port handled 170.4 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo last year—an almost eight per cent increase over the previous record set in 2024, according to a Monday statement from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA).
International trade volumes grew 11 per cent to a record 147 MMT, with more than three-quarters of that trade going to or coming from Indo-Pacific countries, driven by China (36 per cent of total international volumes), Japan (13 per cent) and South Korea (nine per cent).
“As Prime Minister [Mark] Carney looks to double exports to non-U.S. markets in the next decade, the Port of Vancouver is playing an outsized role in delivering more made-in-Canada products to more customers globally,” Peter Xotta, VFPA president and CEO said in a Monday, March 9 statement.
Exports were led by grain, crude oil and potash, all hitting record levels, according to VFPA.
Canola oil exports to some new markets saw an increase, led by South Korea (up 37 per cent) and Peru (up 217 per cent). Exports to China and the United States, which made up two-thirds of 2025’s volume, had a slight two per cent decline.
Auto trade also set new highs with nearly 480,000 vehicles moving through the port—up two per cent over 2024, said the port, adding that nearly all of Canada’s Asian-manufactured vehicle imports arrive via Vancouver.
The bulk sector, which is 98 per cent export-driven, grew 11 per cent to a record 130.7 MMT last year. Export growth was driven by grain, which saw a 20 per cent annual increase, fertilizer (21 per cent) and crude oil (nearly 50 per cent).
“[These] offset a fall in bulk exports of coal and canola seed, with canola seed falling sharply from August onwards following Chinese tariffs to end the year down 23 [per cent] at 6.6 MMT,” said the VFPA statement.
The Port of Vancouver handled about half of Canada’s total canola seed exports last year. Xotta said early-year data this year are “promising.”
“We are already seeing encouraging signs that canola seed exports are recovering following a trade deal signed by Canada and China in January,” he said.
The cruise sector recorded 300 ship calls and 1.2 million passengers between March and October 2025. Foreign breakbulk volumes, mainly wood pulp exports and metals imports, remained stable in 2025, according to VFPA.
The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port, moving more cargo than the next five largest Canadian ports combined, according to VFPA.
