Cargo figures show positive signs that the Port of Vancouver is helping put Canada on a path to increase non-U.S. exports and reduce dependence on American trade

The tide of Canadian exports flowing through the Port of Vancouver, particularly grain and crude oil, rose three per cent to a new record of 88 million tonnes through the first half of 2026, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority reported Monday.

How much the increase represents a shift in trade patterns remains “the $64,000 question,” according to Peter Xotta, CEO of the port authority.

However, in the context of federal objectives to reduce reliance on the U.S. by increasing exports elsewhere, there are signs that shipments are moving in the right direction.

“Pretty clearly, I would say (in) broad strokes, Canadian agriculture is going to continue to grow, and they are on the forefront of probably developing some of the new markets that our federal leadership want to encourage,” Xotta said.

“That and energy products (are) obviously the other one. So those two are probably leading the way in terms of market development, market penetration.”

Trade figures were helped by a bumper crop on the Canadian prairies, but the port authority reported a 14 per cent boom in bulk shipments of canola seed, barley and specialty crops, which hit 17.4 million tonnes in the first half of the year.

According to the port authority, exports to China, Mexico, Pakistan and even Europe increased sharply, and shipments of specialty crops such as peas and lentils going to customers in India, China and Bangladesh almost tripled.

From Canada’s increased capacity to export oil from Trans Mountain’s Westridge terminal, primarily Alberta oilsands crude, the port also saw a new record of some 12 million tonnes of exports over the first six months.

And Trans Mountain recorded somewhat higher volumes heading to Asia-Pacific destinations such as China and South Korea, and somewhat less being sent to U.S. West Coast refineries.

According to the port authority, 80 per cent of shipments went to destinations in Asia, mostly China and South Korea, but with amounts going to Japan and a first-ever shipment to Indonesia in April. However, U.S. oil exports shrank to about one-fifth of Trans-Mountain’s output from about one-third a year ago.

Not all commodities saw increased exports. Steel-making coal shipments shrank 16 per cent to 10.6 million tonnes, compared with almost 13 million tonnes for the first half of 2025. Potash shipments, at 5.1 million tonnes, were slightly down from 5.2 million tonnes a year ago.

The port characterized the figures as “steady,” and Xotta said unique factors contributed to some of those results. For coal, he added that “the variability there is not a concern.”

“We know that there’s long-term demand for Canadian metallurgical coal, and we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got the capacity to handle it,” Xotta said.

Port container terminals also saw increasing amounts of trade, again helped by soaring exports of agricultural specialty crops such as peas and lentils.

Traffic increased to almost two million twenty-foot-equivalent-units of containers over the first six months, a four-per cent increase overall.

The telling numbers in the report were a decrease in empty containers sent back to foreign ports, which shrank 2.6 per cent to 494,192 TEUs over the first six months, compared with 507,492 TEUs a year ago. The number of laden export containers, however, was up almost four per cent to 421,330 TEUs.

Exporters also brought in almost 7,000 TEUs worth of empty containers in the first half of 2026, up dramatically from just 1,000 a year ago.

Being able to handle expected increasing amounts of cargo will be the challenge, which is a key part of the gateway strategy that Xotta unveiled with federal Transportation Minister Steven MacKinnon in July.

The objective of the strategy — which takes in the port’s Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, new bulk-commodity handling facilities at its Fraser Wharves in Richmond and improvements to transportation corridors — is to increase trade through its terminals by 50 per cent.

Ottawa agreed to forward the gateway strategy to its “major projects office” for potential designation as a project of national importance and fast-tracking through approvals.

On Monday, Xotta said the port expects to release more details about some of the “near term” priorities for improving road and rail corridors to port facilities.

“Maybe I’ll frame it this way … the prime minister has talked about doubling trade (over the next decade).”

Xotta added that the port’s capacity has grown by 78 per cent over the last 15 years, and he expects it to increase 40 to 50 per cent over the next 10 years to match federal ambitions.

“Much of that will be exports, and those exports are dependent on rail and other improvements in the gateway,” Xotta said.