Vancouver Port News

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has released the 2018 year-end statistics for cargo through the Port of Vancouver. The second consecutive year of record cargo volumes reflects Canada’s growing trade, said a press release.Overall cargo volume through Canada’s largest port reached a record high of 147 million tonnes, up 3.5 per cent from 2017, it said."One of the port’s biggest strengths continues to be the ability to accommodate the most diversified range of cargo of any port in North America. Sectors that experienced strong growth last year include containers, potash, canola products and barley, all of which hit new records in 2018," it added.In 2018, container volumes, measured in 20-foot equivalents or TEUs, increased by 4.4 per cent to a record 3.4 million TEUs.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF) was selected as a vessel quieting technology by the EcoAction Program implemented by Port of Vancouver, Canada. PBCF was jointly developed by MOL, West Japan Fluid Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd. and Nakashima Propeller Co., Ltd. (Note 1), and is being sold by MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s EcoAction Program offers discounted harbour due rate to vessels that have implemented voluntary emission reduction measures and other environmental practices. As of January 1, 2017, vessels equipped with PBCF and transiting to the Port of Vancouver will be eligible for bronze level recognition and a 23% discount in harbour dues.

The Port of Vancouver USA Board of Commissioners today voted 2-1 to hire interim CEO Julianna Marler as the port’s permanent CEO/Executive Director. Marler, who was appointed interim CEO by the board in May 2016, was one of three finalists for the position. The other two were Edward Galligan, current Executive Director of the Port of Olympia, and Arthur Scheunemann, former President and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County. “We had three highly qualified candidates, and that made this a hard decision,” said commission President Brian Wolfe. “This was a rigorous process,” said commission Vice President Eric LaBrant. “Julianna was stacked up against the best of the industry and she’s the most qualified candidate.

Every port is different. But the harbor masters meeting in Vancouver this week are finding they all have much in common. “We all are dealing with issues of efficiency, the environment, and security and how to develop our ports to best accommodate our customers today and in the future,” says Capt. Kevin Richardson, president of the International Harbour Masters’ Association (IHMA) and a retired chief harbor master at the Port of Dover in the U.K. The congress is being hosted by the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the third largest in North America by tonnage.

Port Metro Vancouver said on Thursday that operations had resumed at most port facilities shut down by a shipping container fire the day before, but that its Centerm container terminal was still closed. The chemical fire, which prompted a massive emergency response late on Wednesday and shut down a large portion of Canada's biggest port, continued to smolder at the container yard just east of downtown Vancouver. "Fire officials have isolated the fire and continue to monitor the container," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement, adding that there is an 100 meter (330 feet) exclusion zone in place around the burning container. He added that operations had resumed at all other port facilities on the south shore of the Burrard Inlet.

A chemical fire at a Vancouver container terminal led to a partial evacuation of Canada’s largest port for several hours Wednesday afternoon, as a cloud of white smoke drifting over the city prompted health warnings and road closures, says Canadian Press. "All south shore of the Burrard inlet port operations have been shut down, including rail and truck access," said Port Metro Vancouver spokesman John Parker-Jervis in a statement. The burning container contains trichloroisocyanuric acid, a hazardous organic compound commonly used as an industrial disinfectant and bleaching agent, he added. The Port evacuated its Centerm terminal, which is operated by DP World Vancouver, and nearby port properties.

Port Metro Vancouver has released its 2014 year-end statistics, showing its second consecutive year of record-breaking cargo volumes. According to the port, the year was marked by best-ever volumes in the bulk and container sectors, resulting in a record overall year in tonnage. The port's terminals handled 140 million metric tons of cargo in 2014, up three percent from 2013. Import cargo rose 4.1 percent to 27 million metric tons, and exports rose 3.3 percent to 108 million metric tons.

The ongoing risk of a strike or work slowdown at West Coast ports may already be diverting cargo to other distribution methods and setting the stage for broader economic impacts, Fitch Ratings says. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) workers are currently working without a contract and could strike at any time. However, Fitch notes that recent negotiations between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) are said to be amicable, and cargo has been moving through West Coast ports without incident since the expiration of the previous contract on June 30.

The trucking disruption is affecting the movement of containers by truck to and from Port Metro Vancouver’s four container terminals. In general, 70% of containers arrive and depart Port Metro Vancouver container terminals by rail and 30% by truck. Following yesterday’s clear actions by Canada, B.C. and Port Metro Vancouver to protect the economy, we are seeing significant truck activity at Port Metro Vancouver terminals. The volume of container truck transactions on March 20, 2014 was nearly 40% of normal. It is the highest level since the trucking disruption began.

Reuters - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday it was "not acceptable" for striking truck drivers to block shipments at Canada's largest port in Vancouver and that Ottawa was concerned about the labor dispute. "It is not acceptable to have relatively small numbers of people blocking what is important trade for a range of British Columbian and Canadian businesses," Harper told a business audience in Vancouver when asked about the truck driver strike. Unionized container truck drivers set up picket lines at the Vancouver port on Monday, joining hundreds of nonunion workers who walked off the job last month in a dispute over pay and services.

Unionized container truck drivers set up picket lines at Canada's largest port on Monday, joining hundreds of non-unionized workers who walked off the job last month in a dispute over pay and services. They will now join a nearly two-week long strike by non-unionized drivers, which has already crippled operations at the busy port, hitting the export of commodities like lumber and specialized grain products, and the import of consumer goods. "The impact of truckers walking off the job is in the order of about C$885 million ($796.9 million) per week…

Container truck drivers at Canada's largest port reached a new deal on Thursday, narrowly avoiding an expanded job action that would have seen some 400 unionized drivers join about 1,200 non-unionized drivers who walked off the job last week. The tentative agreement, which addresses demands made by both unionized and non-unionized drivers at Port Metro Vancouver, came after a morning of intense discussions with a government-appointed mediator and could help get hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products back on the roads. "We have now secured a deal that will hopefully get things back to normal at the port by early next week," said Gavin McGarrigle, British Columbia area director for Unifor, which represents the unionized drivers.

Reuters –  Container truck drivers at Canada's largest port have reached a new deal, narrowly avoiding an expanded job action that would have seen some 400 unionized drivers join about 1,200 non-unionized drivers who walked off the job last week. The tentative agreement, which addresses demands made by both unionized and non-unionized drivers at Port Metro Vancouver, came after a morning of intense discussions with a government-appointed mediator and could help get hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products back on the roads.

Unionized container truck drivers at Canada's largest port voted on Saturday to join a strike by their non-unionized colleagues, who walked off the job on Wednesday over a long-running dispute about pay and services. Unifor, which represents about 400 container truck drivers at Port Metro Vancouver, said its drivers voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the four-day-old work action. The unionized workers must give 72-hour notice before walking off the job. Both groups are demanding that the port streamline operations to improve wait times or pay drivers a fair hourly wage while waiting. They are also asking for better, standardized pay rates to discourage under-cutting.

Port Metro Vancouver is taking steps to ensure the safety of the port and port users, and the smooth movement of goods in the face of ongoing disruption to operations by members of the United Truckers Association. This group of truckers is protesting the wages paid by those who hire them, as well as wait times. Trucking wages are between truckers and trucking companies and Port Metro Vancouver will not interfere in that commercial arrangement. Port Metro Vancouver is, however, aggressively pursuing initiatives to alleviate wait times, an area over which we can exert influence.

Port Metro Vancouver is proud to honour 11 recipients of its Blue Circle Award for 2010. Launched last year, this award recognizes the most eco-friendly vessels that call at the Port. The Blue Circle Award acknowledges industry commitment to Port sustainability by recognizing the extraordinary environmental achievements of ships that participate in Port Metro Vancouver’s EcoAction Program for Shipping. The program offers a financial incentive for cruise and shipping lines to reduce ship emissions.

Port Metro Vancouver has released the 2010 mid-year results of overall throughputs in the Cargo Statistics Report. The report shows that 2010 is building momentum, with an overall tonnage increase of 20 per cent totalling 58.4 million tonnes to date. "As a significant economic generator for Metro Vancouver, the Province, and Canada, we are cautiously optimistic. Significantly improved half-year numbers are good news for all Canadians and signs of continued growth point to a return to 2008 pre global economic downturn levels possibly as soon as 2011," said Robin Silvester, President and Chief Executive Officer, Port Metro Vancouver, "Importantly during a slower 2009…

Allied Shipbuilders of North Vancouver, B.C. delivered the new patrol vessel Takaya to Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) – its first new patrol vessel in 10 years. The vessel’s namesake is attributed to the First Nations people who inhabit Burrard Inlet. Designed by Robert Allan, Naval Architects of Vancouver, under the direction of Hans Muhlert, the new vessel is representative of an investment ensuring that the VPA is able to offer the utmost in services to its clients on an ongoing 24-hour a day basis. Equipped to handle the VPA’s normal duties of inspecting ships calling in the Port, as well as pollution response, the vessel will have search and rescue, and VIP harbor tour capacities.

John Riding, director of Marico Marine, speaking at Ship Repair & Conversion in London, presents a rosy picture for the future of ship repair by pointing out that freight rates have not been so high for years and some owners, such as bulk carrier operators are enjoying a rare opportunity to seriously invest in maintenance. The busy state of building yards means that "keeping an older vessel in service longer has great commercial attraction," said Riding. He believes that some repair yards have the potential to make a return for the first time in a long time. However, there is a fly in the ointment in the form of the ISPS Code. The code as has implementation date of July 2004 and applies to all passenger ships…

The Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) announced today Port Vancouver Ventures, a subsidiary of the VPA, has sold its 50 per cent stake in Coast 2000 Terminals, a distribution and logistics corporate partnership, to a subsidiary of Western Stevedoring. Coast 2000 Terminals is a Richmond, B.C.-based exporter and warehouse operator providing container inspection, repair, storage and preparation services. "As a facilitator of trade for Canadians, we are proud to have fostered this niche in transportation logistics by enabling efficient and cost- effective service," said Captain Gordon Houston, President and Chief Executive Officer, Vancouver Port Authority. Coast 2000 operates an 11-acre container yard, a barge ramp and a 260,000 square foot warehouse with cross-dock and 14 rail doors.

The Port of Vancouver handled 76.5 million tons of cargo last year, up 7 percent to the highest level ever at what was already Canada's busiest ocean port. Vancouver saw increased volumes in nearly all the bulk materials it handles, and in both import and export container shipments, which the Vancouver Port Authority credited to the combination of a weak Canadian dollar and strong demand for Asian goods. Bulk wheat exports rose 26 percent to 8.5 million tons, coal exports were up 2 percent at 27.6 million tons, and shipments of forest products increased 6 percent to 6.1 million tons, according to port's annual report. The port authority said Vancouver-Alaska cruise ships handled just over 1 million passengers last summer, up 11 percent from the 1999 coastal cruise season.

The Tacoma Daily said ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, Canada have proposed performance goals to reduce particulate matter by 70 percent from ships at berth and 30 percent from cargo handling equipment, according to the Pacific Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy announced Wednesday. The strategy proposes performance goals aimed at reducing diesel emissions and greenhouse gases from port-related sources. The three ports plan to accomplish the emissions reduction goals for ships and cargo handling equipment by 2010. The strategy also will address emissions from port-related truck, train and harbor craft activity and includes long-term goals for additional emissions reductions.

The Port of Vancouver is the first in Canada to attempt to entice ships to burn cleaner fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions. However an environmental group says it will take government regulation to truly stop cargo ships from burning the molasses-like bunker fuel in Canada's ports. The Vancouver program reduces harbour dues to ships burning cleaner fuel. The program ranks emissions at gold, silver and bronze levels. Darrell Desjardin, director of environmental programs with the Port of Vancouver, said the measure is a bridge to eventual international environmental shipping regulations. Desjardin isn't sure what kind of impact the program will have in reducing emissions in the area…