New numbers paint a picture of a mixed year at the Port of Vancouver in 2023. 

According to data released by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, cargo volumes through the Port of Vancouver increased by 6% year over year. That was driven by a record 150.4 million metric tons of trade. 

However, over the same period, container volumes were down 12%, which the Port of Vancouver blames on overstocked retailer inventories, geopolitical factors like disruptions to the Panama Canal and Red Sea, and a 13-day British Columbia longshore worker strike in July 2023.

“While there was a softening of container volumes moving through the Port of Vancouver in 2023, Canada’s container sector remains on a long-term growth trajectory and we saw encouraging signs of recovery in Q4 as year-over-year volumes started to grow,” Vancouver Fraser Port Authority president and CEO Peter Xotta said. 

It’s estimated that as much cargo moved through the Port of Vancouver as Canada’s next five largest ports combined.