Port of Vancouver says record volumes of cargo moved during first half of 2025

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says 13% more cargo moved through Canada’s biggest port during the first six months of the year than in the same period of 2024.

That amounted to a record 85 million metric tonnes being handled at the Port of Vancouver.

The biggest increase was in crude oil exports, which were almost five times higher than in the first half of last year thanks to the startup of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in May 2024.

About 60% of the crude export volumes during the first half of 2025 went to China.

Canola oil exports moving through the port were up 72% to 700,000 metric tonnes as cargoes were able to move to markets other than China and the United States.

The port’s four container terminals saw a 6% increase in volumes year over year, while cruise ship passenger visits decreased 9% after a record 2024.

The latest cargo numbers come amid a push for Canada to diversify its trading relationships beyond the United States, which has made tariffs a centrepiece of its economic policy under President Donald Trump.

“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.,” said Peter Xotta, the port authority’s president and CEO.

Vancouver has the fourth-largest port in North America by tonnage and handles almost as much cargo as Canada’s next five largest ports combined. It enables trade with 170 countries, and more than 80% of the products that move through Vancouver go to markets other than the United States.

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

Lauren Krugel is a reporter with The Canadian Press, a national news agency headquartered in Toronto and founded in 1917.