Port Of Vancouver, Canada

Port of Vancouver is located in western Canada's largest urban center in southwestern British Columbia between Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River and across the Strait of Georgia from Vancouver Island. Port Metro Vancouver is about 100 nautical miles north-northeast of the Port of Victoria, located on southern Vancouver Island, and about 71 nautical miles north-northwest of the Port of Bellingham in Washington State in the United States. In 2006, over 578 thousand people lived in the City of Vancouver, and more than two million people lived in the metropolitan area.

Port Metro Vancouver is a major seaport and a culturally diverse city. Over 40% of its residents speak a language other than English as their native tongue. Aside from the port, Port Metro Vancouver's economy is based on tourism, forestry, mining, and manufacturing. Oil refining and processing fish and forest and agricultural products are also important. Major manufacturers produce metals, boats, chemicals, trucks, and machinery to support forestry and mining activities in the area. More recently, the city has grown as a center for high-tech industries as well as productions for television and film.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) was created in 2007 when the earlier Fraser River Port Authority, the North Fraser Port Authority, and the Vancouver Port Authority were combined. Created by the Canadian government, the VFPA is a financially self-sufficient, non-shareholder corporation that reports to the federal Minister of Transport. A board of directors representing government and industry governs the VFPA, focusing on port users' needs and promoting long-term growth and competitiveness. The VFPA markets itself as Port Metro Vancouver.

In 2008, Port Metro Vancouver served over 3000 vessels carrying 114.6 million tons of cargo, including 73 million tons of bulk cargoes, 20.6 million tons of breakbulk, 20.5 million tons of containerized cargo in 2.5 million TEUs, and 460 thousand tons of automobiles (456.4 thousand units). Port Metro Vancouver also welcomed 854.5 thousand cruise passengers. Foreign cargoes of 82.2 million tons included 13.9 million tons of imports and 68.4 million tons of exports. Port Metro Vancouver also handled 32.3 million tons of domestic cargo.

Bulk cargoes through Port Metro Vancouver in 2008 included coal (25.9 million tons); chemicals, metals, and minerals (11.7 million tons); fertilizers (11.2 million tons); grain, specialty crops, and feed (11.1 million tons); petroleum products (7.3 million tons); forest products (4.4 million tons); machinery, vehicles, construction, and materials (825 thousand tons); and processed food products (754 thousand tons).
In 2008, Port Metro Vancouver breakbulk cargoes of 20.6 million tons included logs (10.7 million tons), miscellaneous goods (4.6 million tons), paper and paperboard (1.7 million tons), and woodpulp (1.3 million tons).

Among containerized imports of 8.7 million tons entering Port Metro Vancouver were household goods (3.2 million tons), parts and components (1.2 million tons), and smaller volumes of construction and materials, machinery, produce, metals, beverages, chemical industry products, wood products, and paper and paperboard. Containerized exports of 11.7 million tons leaving Port Metro Vancouver included woodpulp (2.6 million tons); lumber (2.2 million tons); specialty crops (1.7 million tons); and smaller amounts of metals; meat, fish, and poultry; chemical industry products; waste paper, paper and paperboard; animal feed; and logs.


Port Metro Vancouver contains 17 terminals handling bulk cargoes that range from coal, potash, sulfur, chemicals, and fuel oil to grains. Bulk cargoes represent 75% of Port Metro Vancouver's throughput each year, and it is the busiest port in North America for foreign export volume. Port Metro Vancouver's bulk terminals offer modern efficient facilities and operators with extensive experience.

Port Metro Vancouver's three breakbulk terminals have ample storage space, on-dock rail service, and customized inventory management. Breakbulk berths offer alongside depth of 15 meters at low tide. Breakbulk cargoes include pulp, plywood, lumber, and newsprint. Port Metro Vancouver has three container terminals, and container-handling capacity should reach 4 million TEUs by 2012.

Port Metro Vancouver contains facilities at four areas: Burrard Inlet East, the North Shore, Roberts Bank, and the South Shore.

The Burrard Inlet East in Port Metro Vancouver is home to privately-owned operations that include Imperial Oil IOCO, Kinder Morgan, Canexus Chemicals, Pacific Coast Terminals, PetroCanada, Shellburn, and Stanovan. Imperial Oil IOCO handles fuel oils and marine gas oil at two berths for barges and coastal tankers up to 15 thousand DWT and up to 135 meters long with maximum draft of 8.8 meters. Imperial Oil does not serve third party carriers.

Kinder Morgan operates Port Metro Vancouver's Westridge Marine Terminal for export of crude oil and import and storage of jet fuels. The main dock face is 91.4 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters, and it can accommodate vessels up to 250 meters long with maximum of 100 thousand DWT. The storage tanks for jet fuel have capacity for 45 cubic meters, and the terminal is connected to off-site storage with capacity for about 120 thousand cubic meters of crude oil. The terminal has capacity to load 2.6 thousand cubic meters per hour and to unload 1.6 thousand cubic meters per hour.

CANEXUS Chemicals operates a chlor-alkali facility on the north shore of Port Metro Vancouver's Burrard Inlet where it can provide transportation and logistics options that meet customers' needs. The facility produces chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and hydrochloric acid and is committed to the Canadian Chemical Producers Association's "Responsible Care" initiative. The facility handles imports of bulk sea salt and exports of caustic soda and sodium chlorate at a 152-meter long berth and mooring floats with alongside depth of 10.6 meters. The facility has salt storage capacity to store 22 thousand tons in tanks as well as surface pad storage for 61 thousand tons. The terminal is served by 7.6 meters of yard rail.

Pacific Coast Terminals in the Port Metro Vancouver's Burrard Inlet area is the world's biggest, most automated marine terminal for the export of sulfur and bulk liquids. Pacific Coast Terminals loads over 3.5 million tons of sulfur and 750 thousand tons of ethylene glycol every year. The terminal covers 43 hectares and contains two berths. Berth 1, handling bulk liquids, is 237 meters long with alongside depth of 12 meters. Berth 2, handling sulfur, is 293 meters long with alongside depth of 12 meters and can handle Panamax vessels to 70 thousand DWT. The terminal has capacity to store 220 thousand tons of sulfur, 55 thousand tons of ethylene glycol, and an additional 11.2 thousand tons in currently unused tanks. Pacific Coast Terminals has infrastructure to store an additional 15 thousand tons. The terminal is served by four thousand meters of rail serviced by Canadian Pacific. The sulfur loading rate is five thousand tons per hour, and the ethylene glycol loading rate is 800 tons per hour.

PetroCanada, one of Canada's biggest integrated oil and gas companies, operates its facility in Buraby in Port Metro Vancouver's Burrard Inlet. Handling petroleum products, the facility has two berths. The West berth is 45 meters long with dolphins that can accommodate vessels to 40 thousand DWT with draft of 11.8 meters. The East berth is 40 meters long with minimum depth of six meters.

The Port Metro Vancouver facility operated by Shellburn handles petroleum products and styrene. The outer berth is 122 meters long with alongside depth of 8.9 meters, and the Inner berth is 94 meters long with alongside depth of 5.2 meters.

The Stanovan Terminal at Burnaby in Port Metro Vancouver's Burrard Inlet is a 52-thousand barrel refinery producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt. The berth is 85 meters long with mooring buoys and alongside depth of 12.5 meters.

Port Metro Vancouver's North Shore Terminals (Burrard Inlet) include Dow Chemicals, Fibreco, James Richardson International, Lynnterm, Neptune, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, and Vancouver Wharves.

The Port Metro Vancouver's 3-hectare Dow Chemicals terminal handles caustic soda solution, ethylene dichloride, and ethylene glycol. Its berth, Lynnterm No. 7, is 200 meters long with alongside depth of 11.6 meters. Dow Chemicals maintains a tank farm with rail capacity for 24 railcars. The facility can store 36 thousand tons of caustic soda and 26 thousand tons of ethylene dichloride.

Port Metro Vancouver's 9.3-hectare Fibreco Terminal is one of the world's biggest and most modern woodchip handling facilities. With capacity for handling two million tons of bulk wood chips per year, the berth can accommodate vessels to 265 meters in length with maximum draft of 11.5 meters. The terminal has storage capacity for 240 tons of wood chips. The facility can accept bulk cargoes from vessels with gear-to-onshore conveying systems. It can unload wood chips from truck, rail, barge, and ship. It can load cargoes onto barges and ships.

The James Richardson International (JRI) terminal in Port Metro Vancouver exports an average three million metric tons of grain every year, including exports of canola and cereal grains to Pacific Rim countries. The JRI terminal handles wheat, canola, rye, barley, feed products, and flax. Its berth is 180 meters long with alongside depth of 15.24 meters, and it has capacity to store 108 thousand tons of grain.

Western Stevedoring operates Port Metro Vancouver's Lynnterm facility, the Pacific Northwest center for consolidating forest products, steel, and breakbulk cargoes. The terminal handles wood pulp, paper, lumber, logs, steel products, panel products, machinery, and project cargo. The facility has seven all-concrete berths a total of 1516 meters long with alongside depths from 12 to 15 meters at low water. The 59-hectare site contains 81.7 thousand square meters of covered storage and 380 thousand square meters of open storage space. Its eight warehouses are used for forest products, general cargo, and steel. The Canadian National Railway provides direct service and connections to all major railroads, and the facility contains about 9 kilometers of tracks linking the berth to storage facilities.

With capacity to handle 17 million metric tons of cargo per year, Port Metro Vancouver's Neptune Bulk Terminals is the biggest multi-product bulk terminal in North America. Located in the inner harbor, the 29-hectare facility provides loading/unloading services and storage for a range of bulk commodities that include exports of thermal and metallurgical coal, potash, agricultural products, specialty grains, fertilizers, and canola oil. Berth 1 is 230 meters long with alongside depth of 15.24 meters and can accommodate vessels to 180 thousand DWT. Berth 2 is 230 meters long with alongside depth of 13.7 meters and can accommodate Panamax vessels to 85 thousand DWT. Berth 3 is 100 meters long with alongside depth of 13 meters and can accommodate vessels to 65 thousand DWT. Berth 1 has storage capacity for 600 thousand tons of coal. Berth 2 has capacity to store 300 thousand tons of potash and 19 thousand tons of canola oil. The facilities are served by eight kilometers of continuous loop trackage.

The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool in Port Metro Vancouver handles wheat, canola, durum, barley, and grain by-products at two berths. Each berth is 230 meters long with alongside depth of 15.5 meters, and the facility has capacity to store 240 thousand tons of grain.

Port Metro Vancouver Wharves handle breakbulk and bulk cargoes. These wharves in Port Metro Vancouver's inner harbor have capacity to handle up to 10 million tons of cargo per year. The primary breakbulk cargoes are pulp and paper. Bulk cargoes include mineral concentrates, sulfur and fertilizers, liquids, specialty agricultural products, and other dry bulk commodities. The 45-hectare facility contains five deep-sea berths totaling 900 meters long with alongside depths from 11.2 to 13.7 meters. The wharves have capacity to store one million tons of cargo. Storage facilities have capacity for about 500 thousand tons of minerals, 175 thousand tons of sulfur, and 30 thousand tons of agricultural products. The facilities also include 35 thousand square meters of covered storage for pulp, four tanks with total capacity for 10 million gallons of liquids, and ample land for additional storage. The wharves are served by several track areas and a loop track that can receive unit trains.

Port Metro Vancouver's Roberts Bank Terminals include Deltaport and Westshore Terminals. Deltaport is the largest container terminal in Port Metro Vancouver. Located 35 kilometers south of the inner harbor, the terminal can handle the largest modern container ships and has container cranes that serve super post-Panamax vessels. TSI Terminal Systems Inc. has a long-term lease agreement with Port Metro Vancouver to operate Deltaport, which serves containers and project cargoes. The 65-hectare facility contains two container berths that total 670 meters long with alongside depth of 15.85 meters, and a third berth is being built. The container yard has capacity for 24 thousand full TEUs. The facility is served by eight thousand-foot rail tracks.

Westshore Terminals at Port Metro Vancouver is the leading coal export facility in Canada and the biggest dry bulk terminal on the western coast of the Americas. The 40-hectare Westshore Terminals handle coal and coke. Berth 1 is 350 meters long with alongside depth of 22.9 meters and can accommodate vessels up to 260 thousand DWT. Berth 2 is 263 meters long with alongside depth of 20.8 meters and can accommodate vessels to 150 thousand DWT. The facility has two loop tracks and two rotary rail car dumpers as well as an extensive high-speed conveyor system.

Port Metro Vancouver's South Shore Terminals include Agricore United, Cascadia Terminal, Centerm, Pacific Elevators, and West Coast Reduction. Agricore United is a farmer-directed agri-business and one of the biggest grain-handling and –marketing businesses in Canada. Agricore United markets grain and grain products grain and grain products both internationally and domestically. The west berth is 213 meters long with alongside depth of 11.7 meters, and the East berth is 213 meters long with alongside depth of 13.6 meters. The facility has capacity to store over 102 thousand tons of cargo, and it is served by two intercontinental railways.

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool owns and operates Port Metro Vancouver's Cascadia Terminal under the name Viterra. The Cascadia Terminal handles wheat, canola, barley, durum, rye, oats, and by-products. The berth is 274 meters long with alongside depth of 15.2 meters. The facility has capacity to store 282 thousand metric tons of cargo. Port Metro Vancouver's Pacific Elevators is also owned and operated by Viterra. Handling canola, peas, flax, agri-forage, and by-products, the Pacific Elevators facilities contain three berths. Berth 1 is a lay berth of 185 meters long with alongside depth of 9.6 meters. Berth 2 is a loading berth of 215 meters long with alongside depth of 13.7 meters. Berth 4 is 305 meters long with alongside depth of 10.2 meters. The Pacific Elevators facility includes storage capacity for 199 thousand metric tons of cargo, and it is served by rail.

Centerm handles both breakbulk cargoes and containers in Port Metro Vancouver. Located in the inner harbor, Centerm is served by three railways and has immediate access to the nation's highway system. P&O Ports Canada Inc. operates the 28-hectare Centerm facility under a long-term lease with Port Metro Vancouver. Breakbulk cargoes include forest products and project and breakbulk cargoes. Centerm contains four general cargo berths that range from 180 to 400 meters in length with alongside depths from 12.2 to 15.5 meters. Two container berths total 650 meters in length. The Centerm facility contains two dry sheds of 24.4 thousand square meters, enclosed storage for 41 thousand tons of pulp, and open storage of 204.4 thousand square meters. The container yard has capacity to store 12 thousand TEUs.

Port Metro Vancouver's Rogers Sugar, a cane sugar refinery, is Western Canada's major processor, distributor, and marketer of sugar products that include granulated sugar, icing, yellow and brown sugars, and liquid sugars and syrups. The refinery can produce as much as 240 tons of sugar each year from imported raw cane sugar. At 130 meters long with alongside depth of 9.1 meters, the Rogers Sugar berth receives bulk sugar imports.

Port Metro Vancouver's Vanterm, a 31-hectare is a modern, fully-equipped twin-berth container terminal with a five-track on-dock intermodal rail yard. Vanterm is operated by TSI Terminal Systems Inc. under a long-term agreement with Port Metro Vancouver. Vanterm handles containerized and project cargoes and bulk oils. The berths are 619 meters long with alongside depths from 15.2 to 15.5 meters. The container yard can accommodate seven thousand full TEUs.

West Coast Reduction Ltd. in Port Metro Vancouver's South Shore is a rendering-industry leader operating a rendering plant and bulk storage terminal. Products are pumped underground to storage tanks before shipping. The facility also includes a commercial tank farm with capacity to store 57 thousand metric tons. The facility handles inedible tallow, poultry meal, feather meal, blood meal, fish meal, and fish oil. Its two berths can accommodate both container ships and large bulk tankers.