Workers at Canada’s largest port had no trouble keeping busy last year, moving a record breaking 118.4 million tonnes of cargo.
This according to Port Metro Vancouver’s 2010 year-end results released Thursday.
The port’s totals increased 16% last year from 101.8 million tonnes in 2009 and surpassed 2008’s 114.5 million tones.
“2010 was an important and successful year at Port Metro Vancouver, with unprecedented infrastructure investments underway, the implementation of a unique model of collaboration among transportation and port operations partners, and record setting volumes,” port president and CEO Robin Silvester said in a release. “Port businesses have every reason to celebrate a hard-earned recovery that exceeded operations.”
Foreign tonnage increased 18% to 93.3 million last year compared with 2009, while domestic numbers were up 10% to 25.1 million tonnes.
Highlights from 2010 included:
- Breakbulk shipments up 15% to 16.8 million tonnes thanks to a rebound in demand for forest products;
- Bulk volumes were up 19% to 80.3 million tonnes as Asian markets continued to reach for Canadian coal, grain and potash resources;
- And container traffic set an all time record of 2.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit containers), a 17% increase over 2009.
“As Canada’s largest port, Port Metro Vancouver delivered results that show the Asia-Pacific Gateway strategy is working for the Canadian economy,” commented federal Transport Minister Chuck Strahl.
But not everything was rosy at the port.
Cruise voyages were down 31% to 177 in 2010, and automotive cargo volumes edged down 1% to 381,609.
Breakbulk shipments in 2010 remained approximately 17% lower than 2008 numbers, while foreign vessel arrivals increased only 1%.
Check out this week’s edition of Business in Vancouver for more about Port Metro Vancouver and its ongoing labour issues.