Vancouver Sees Record First Half Volume as Canada Grows Exports Beyond U.S.

The Port of Vancouver in British Columbia is already Canada’s largest port, and as the country looks to expand trade with Asia, the port is handling record volumes. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority reports it handled a record 85 million metric tons of cargo in the first half of 2025 as the country expands its trade beyond the U.S.

“Canadians and their businesses depend on the Port of Vancouver to buy and sell the products they manufacture, farm, mine, and stock their shelves with,” said Peter Xotta, President and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. He notes as Canadians navigate a moment in time like no other, “The Port of Vancouver has a critical role to play in meeting the moment as Canadian businesses seek to sell more of their products to more customers outside of the U.S.”

With Canada caught in tariff disputes with the Trump administration, the port notes it saw delivering vast quantities of made-in-Canada grain, energy, and fertilizer exports. The port’s mid-year cargo statistics show a 13 percent increase in cargo moved between January and June 2025, compared to the same six-month period last year. Port of Vancouver terminals handled nearly 20% more international trade than a year ago, with Xotta highlighting that more than 80 percent of the trade through the Port of Vancouver is Canadian trade with countries other than the U.S.

Bulk exports of Canadian commodities were strong in the first half of the year, including record volumes of crude oil exports (up 365 percent), and robust volumes of canola oil (up 72 percent), grain, and potash exports from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Approximately 60 percent of the record energy volumes went to China, while other markets, including the U.S., South Korea, Singapore, and Japan, all surpassed their full-year 2024 volumes early in the first half of 2025.

The Port of Vancouver’s four container terminals moved 1.88 million TEUs during the first half of 2025, with mid-year volume growth of 6 percent driven largely by Canadian trade. It was the second-highest volume of containers moved at mid-year, after 2021’s record of 1.94 million TEU.

The port authority highlights that it is also continuing to work closely with industry and government to plan and deliver investment in the gateway to boost reliability and capacity. Among the major projects are the Roberts Bank Terminal 2.

These record volumes come as Canada continues to step up its efforts to move away from the U.S., which was its largest customer, and expand international opportunities. Beyond the growth reported for the operations in Vancouver, Canada also saw the opening of its first LNG export terminal at mid-year. It is the first major export terminal from North America on the Pacific coast and looks to build a large trade with Asia, offering significant advantages of U.S. LNG, which comes from the Gulf Coast and has to transit the Panama Canal.