The Port of Vancouver handled a record 88.1 million metric tonnes of cargo in the first six months of 2026, a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2025, driven primarily by record volumes of Prairie grain and Alberta crude oil reaching Indo-Pacific markets.
Exports of fertilizer and coal remained broadly steady alongside two-way container trade, while vehicle imports and cruise operations both set new half-year records.
Containerised cargo volumes reached 1.90 million TEUs in the first half, with exports up 4 percent and imports up 2%.
Overall container terminal volumes were 1 percent higher than the first half of 2025 and 2% below the previous half-yearly record of 1.94 million TEUs set in 2021, as gains in loaded movements were partially offset by a decline in empty container repositioning.
The port handles approximately half of Canada’s two-way container trade, encompassing exports of forestry products, food, machinery and premium grain alongside imports of consumer goods and manufacturing components.
The proportion of US-bound imports continues to decline as Canadian businesses diversify toward global markets, with China, South Korea and Japan the top export destinations....