The Port of Vancouver at a glance

Ideally situated on Canada’s West Coast, the Port of Vancouver connects businesses and consumers to an average of 140 to 170 global trading economies each year. It is the most diversified cargo-handling port in North America and is equipped to handle cargo and passengers across five different business sectors.

Business sectors

A row of cars in a lot. A ro-ro ship can be seen in the background.
Automobiles

Serving more than a dozen of top auto manufacturers.

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Dozens of logs float in the river. Mountains can be seen in the background.
Breakbulk

Types of cargo includes forest products, steely, and machinery.

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A bulk cargo ship floats in the water at twilight
Bulk

Cargo examples include grain crops, petroleum products, and coal.

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A stack of shipping containers.
Containers

Used to ship cargo such as consumer goods, grain, lumber, and steel.

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Aerial of cruise ships at the Port of Vancouver
Cruise

The Port of Vancouver welcomes over 1 million passengers annually

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Cargo ships and terminals at the Port of Vancouver

The port is home to:

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major marine terminals

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tenants

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Class 1 railroads

Port of Vancouver benefits by sector

A full range of facilities and services for the domestic and international shipping community are available at Port of Vancouver terminals and throughout the Greater Vancouver gateway region. 

Auto terminals at the port:

  • Handle additional cargo such as heavy rolling machinery and equipment
  • Offer extensive on-dock rail and truck loading capabilities

Port terminals support the breakbulk sector by:

  • Acting as the Pacific Northwest’s major consolidation centre for breakbulk cargo
  • Offering flexible cargo handling options and efficient vessel loading and discharge services
  • Providing easy access to railroads, extensive road connections, and established corridors for overweight and oversized project cargo

Bulk shipping lines choose Port of Vancouver terminals because they offer:

  • Access to diverse and available western Canadian commodities for export
  • A full range of cost-effective maritime and transportation services
  • Special handling by commodity 

The port provides access to:

  • Four common-use container terminals with annual capacity of more than five million TEUs
  • Three Class 1 railroads, each with extensive on-dock facilities
  • A variety of transload, cross-docking, and warehouse facilities
  • An off-dock container yard and maintenance facilities
  • Shore power facilities (available at Centerm and Deltaport terminals

The Canada Place cruise terminal at the Port of Vancouver offers:

  • 1,045 meters of berthing area
  • Shore power equipment and facilities
  • International recognition as a leading cruise home port 
Bulk ship docked at Lynnterm

The port authority: a reliable and innovative partner

The port’s private sector is on the frontlines of Canada’s trade, handling more than $800 million in trade every day. In our role as a Canada Port Authority, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority works to complement that, enhancing the competitive value of the port by developing the capacity, efficiency, and reliability that our customers and tenants rely on. Here’s how: 

Leveraging our long history of delivering high-quality and sustainable infrastructure, we’re building critical trade capacity to support trade growth and stronger national supply chains. We do this by:

  • Making the best and most efficient use of existing land and facilities through strategic land use and transportation planning
  • Building infrastructure—both on and off-terminal—to support port operations, including terminal reconfiguration, new land masses, and better roadways
  • Improving rail and trucking corridors, such as by building overpasses so drivers can avoid rail tracks

Through our Connect+ Program, we offer innovative data-driven initiatives to drive value for customers and port users, and to create more efficient, reliable, and resilient supply chains. Examples include:

  • A collaborative port authority-led program to prioritize and optimize the movement of commercial ships, enabling the efficient flow of goods to and from the port and reducing ship wait times  
  • An online, real-time dashboard that shows the estimated truck waiting and flow times at terminals, and supports the Wait Time System that pays out the Gate Efficiency Fee to eligible trucking companies and independent operators on behalf of container terminals

We work closely with, and on behalf of, port customers and tenants to better understand and meet their business needs. We do this by:

  • Engaging regularly with customers, here and around the world, to inform better decision-making
  • Involving our customers in scenarios planning processes to explore the key challenges and opportunities facing the region

Through incentives, resources, and a suite of climate action programs, we’re making it easier for port customers and tenants to engage in environmentally responsible business practices. Initiatives include:

  • Offering the operators of the cleanest and quietest ships up to a 75% discount on port fees for meeting environmental best practices
  • Helping port tenants access financial incentives to advance energy conservation measures and study electrification opportunities, in partnership with BC Hydro 

For more information about doing business at the Port of Vancouver, please contact commercial_enquiries@portvancouver.com.