Port of Vancouver Tonnage Up 7%

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.