VANCOUVER, (Jan. 19, 2005) — Triggered by surging demand from China, Canada’s import and export trade through the Port of Vancouver grew 11 per cent to 73.9 million tonnes in 2004, with shipments of sulphur, potash and containers reaching record levels.

“The port is now a crucial component of a growing Canadian economy as North American trade with Asia drives growth at the Port for the foreseeable future,” Gordon Houston, president and CEO of the Vancouver Port Authority, said in a press release. “The VPA has plans in place to expand its capacity to capture that growth for the benefit of Canadian industries and workers.”

Bouncing back from a paralyzing tug and barge strike earlier last year, The VPA says it continues to see record increases in cargo, with new records in the shipment of potash, increasing 28 per cent to 5.9 million tonnes; sulphur, which rose 16 per cent with 6.2 million tones; and containers, jumping 8 per cent to 1.66 million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Total cargo tonnage, meanwhile, increased 11 per cent to 73.9 million tones, while major grain volumes increased 27 per cent to 8.5 million tonnes. Lumber shipments saw impressive gains with a 22 per cent increase, total dry bulk shipments rose 12 per cent, and coal, the single largest commodity shipped through the port, continued to stage a comeback with 24.7 million tonnes shipped, an increase of 2 per cent.

“The Port of Vancouver enjoyed an outstanding year for the shipment of most commodities in 2004 with high Asian demand for Canadian exports and strong Canadian demand for Asian-manufactured goods,” said David Stowe, chairman, VPA. “This trend is expected to continue as we anticipate growth across all sectors with a projected tripling of container volumes by 2020. But these benefits can only occur with cooperation on transportation improvements.”

The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port, trading more than $29 billion in goods with more than 90 trading economies each year.