A vibrant North American economy in 2000 was reflected in the freight handled by Canada’s ports and marine terminals. The Canadian economy experienced its ninth consecutive year of growth in 2000 with a 5.3% increase in real gross domestic product over 1999. Inflation remained fairly low with an increase in consumer prices of 2.7%. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.8%, the lowest rate experienced in the past 25 years, while unit labour costs in the business sector increased just 2.6%. Merchandise trade with the United States increased 12.3% to $627.2 billion on a balance of payments basis, spurred on by a Canadian dollar that averaged 67.3 cents U.S. Merchandise trade with countries other than the United States also increased 19.1% to $161.6 billion. ¹

The decade from 1991 to 2000 saw a 15.1% increase in the total tonnage handled by Canadian ports and marine terminals. International cargo (between Canadian and foreign ports) actually grew by 25.1% over this period, while domestic cargo (between two Canadian ports) declined by 5.9%. Note that coastwise cargo is handled twice by the Canadian port and terminal system, once when loaded and again when unloaded. While domestic cargo represented 33.1% of the total cargo handled by Canadian ports and marine terminals in 1991, by 2000 this share had declined to 27.1%. 

Chart 1
Total cargo handled at Canadian ports and marine terminals

Chart 2
International cargo handled at Canadian ports and marine terminals

Chart 3
Domestic cargo handled at Canadian ports and marine terminals

The total tonnage of cargo handled by Canadian ports and marine terminals in 2000 increased 4.5% over 1999 to a ten-year record of 402.8 million tonnes (Mt.). International cargo increased 4.5% from 281.2 Mt. 1999 to 293.8 Mt. in 2000, while coastwise or domestic cargo increased 4.4% from 104.4 Mt. to 109.0 Mt.

International marine cargo

Over 187.8 Mt. of cargo destined for foreign countries was loaded at Canadian ports and marine terminals in 2000, an increase of almost 8.2 Mt (4.6%) over 1999. Significant increases in shipments of crude petroleum, wheat, iron ores, and, sand, stone and gravel were partially offset by declines in shipments of corn and, coal. Canadian ports and marine terminals unloaded 105.9 Mt. of international cargo in 2000, 4.4 Mt (4.3%) more than in 1999. Inbound shipments of coal, iron and steel, and other refined petroleum and coal products accounted for most of the increase.

Canada - United States cargo

Canada’s marine traffic to and from the United States reached 108.5 Mt., in 2000 up 6.4% over 1999. Cargo shipped to the United States increased 8.4% to 64.7 Mt. while cargo arriving from the United States increased 3.6% to 43.8 Mt.

Three commodities accounted for the growth in traffic to the United States. Crude petroleum shipments to the United States jumped 34.6% over 1999 to 12.3 Mt. in 2000 due to a combination of increased production in the oil fields off Newfoundland and greater transshipments of North Sea crude. Shipments of stone, sand, gravel and crushed stone were up 30.1% to 6.6 Mt. with increases to U.S. ports on the Atlantic and Gulf, Great Lakes and Pacific coasts. Iron ore and concentrates bound for the United States increased 15.3% to 9.6 Mt. in 2000, perhaps due to a recovery of iron ore demand in the U.S. arising from the imposition anti-dumping duties on foreign steel. While most of the iron ore traffic (5.0 Mt.) was bound for U.S. ports on the Great Lakes, almost all of the increase was bound for ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Inbound coal shipments from the United States increased by 1.4 Mt. over 1999 to 20.1 Mt. in 2000 due mainly to unloading of coal at Nanticoke from U.S. ports on the Great Lakes.

Ships registered in Canada handled 51.6% of the Canada-United States cargo in 2000, down from 55.1% in 1999. Canadian-flag ships were especially dominant on the Great Lakes with 91.4% of the cargo exchanged with U.S. Great Lakes ports. U.S.-flag ships carried 7.5% of all Canada-U.S. cargo, down from 8.1% in 1999. Foreign-flag ships carried the remaining 40.9% of Canada-U.S. cargo in 2000.

Canada - Overseas cargo

Canada’s marine traffic to and from overseas ports reached 185.2 Mt., in 2000 up 3.4% over 1999. Cargo shipped to overseas ports increased 2.7% to 123.1 Mt. while cargo arriving from overseas ports increased 4.8% to 62.1 Mt.

Demand for Canadian wheat in Asia and the Middle East led to a 20.6% increase in loadings of wheat bound for overseas ports to 16.8 Mt. in 2000. Inbound shipments of iron and steel products from overseas ports jumped 42.6% (1.2 Mt.) from 1999 to 3.9 Mt. in 2000. Most of the increase in these products came from Asia (up 59.3%) and Europe (up 30.3%) and were received by the ports of Sorel, Windsor (ON), Fraser River and Hamilton.

Canadian-flag ships handled just 0.1% of the cargo exchanged with overseas ports in 2000, about the same share as in 1999.

Domestic cargo

The 109.0 Mt. of domestic freight handled by the ports in 2000 was the highest quantity recorded since 1991. Crude petroleum shipments between the offshore oil platforms and the island of Newfoundland accounted for most of the increased traffic. Domestic crude petroleum handled by the ports reached 9.7 Mt. in 2000, 3.9 Mt. more than in 1999. Other notable increases in domestic traffic were for wood chips (up 8.7% to 15.3 Mt.), limestone (up 21.6% to 7.3 Mt.) and logs and other wood in the rough (up 14.4% to 8.2 Mt.).

The increase in crude petroleum shipments had a major impact in the Atlantic Region. Atlantic ports handled 21.3 Mt. of domestic cargo in 2000, 24.3% more than in 1999. Wood chips and logs drove an 11.8% increase in traffic in the Pacific Region which handled 33.0 Mt. of domestic marine cargo. Domestic cargo handled by ports in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence regions declined by 5.3% and 5.5% to 28.0 Mt and 26.5 Mt. respectively. These declines were due mainly to less domestic coal and stone, sand, gravel and crushed stone shipped between Great Lakes ports and less iron ore and concentrates and wheat being exchanged between Great Lakes and St. Lawrence ports. 

Canadian port traffic

Nineteen Canadian Port Authorities ² (CPAs) were created under the Canada Marine Act of 1998 based on their potential to be financially self-sufficient. The 19 CPAs handled 60.6% of the total international and 43.8% of the total domestic cargo handled by Canadian ports and marine terminals in 2000 ³.

The quantity of international cargo handled by the CPA’s has increased throughout much of the last decade from 158.9 Mt. in 1991 to 178.0 Mt. in 2000, an increase of 12.1%. In comparison, international traffic handled at non-CPA ports and terminals grew from 75.3 Mt. in 1991 to 115.7 Mt. in 2000. The rapid growth in traffic at these non-CPA facilities was due mainly to transshipments of North Sea crude petroleum through an east coast port to the U.S. eastern seaboard, increased imports of U.S. coal for thermal generation of electricity at a Great Lakes’ facility, and exports of crude petroleum from offshore wells on the east coast.

The past decade saw a decline of 19.1% in domestic traffic reported for the 19 CPAs from 59.0 Mt. in 1991 to 47.8 Mt. This decline was most noticeable for wheat shipments and petroleum products (fuel oil, gasoline and aviation turbine fuel). The decline in wheat may have been affected by changing trade patterns that reduced the quantity of wheat that originated at a Great Lakes' CPA port and was transshipped overseas through ports on the lower St. Lawrence. The decline in petroleum products movements appears to reflect a modal shift to the rail mode for these products. In contrast to the decline in domestic traffic at the CPAs, non-CPA ports and terminals saw an increase in their domestic cargo of 7.8% over the decade, from 56.8 Mt. in 1991 to 61.2 Mt. in 2000. 

Vancouver had a record year in 2000, handling 75.3 Mt. of marine cargo or 18.7% of all cargo handled at Canadian ports and marine terminals. Vancouver was the leading port for both bulk cargo and containerized freight. Four bulk commodities accounted for almost 60% of Vancouver’s total tonnage: coal (26.9 Mt.); wheat (8.4 Mt.); sulphur (5.4 Mt.); and potash (3.8 Mt.). The four products were almost exclusively for export and all increased over 1999. The coal shipments were up slightly as demand for Canadian coal in the key Asian and European markets remained relatively unchanged. Increased shipments to the Middle East, Asia and South America caused a 25.5% jump in wheat handled by the port. Overseas shipments of sulphur were up 1.5% as demand in Asia, particularly in the People’s Republic of China, continued to be strong. There was also a significant increase in sulphur shipments to Australia and New Zealand. Increased demand for Canadian potash in the People’s Republic of China also resulted in a 15.2% increase in potash shipments from Vancouver to overseas ports. 

Vancouver handled a record number of international containers in 2000 with 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), almost 43% of the containers handled at Canada’s ports. Eighty-seven percent of containers were laden with cargo weighting almost 10 Mt., an increase of 10.7% over 1999. Interestingly while the number of outbound laden TEUs exceeded the number of inbound laden TEUs by 20%, the weight in those outbound units was almost double the inbound units. Outbound containers carried more neo-bulk commodities such as lumber, woodpulp and grains while inbound containers carried goods that were more consumer oriented.

Sept-Îles (including Pointe-Noire) handled 23.3 Mt. of cargo in 2000 an increase of 10.9% over 1999. International cargo handled by the port reached 19.0 Mt. in 2000 up 16.5% from 1999. The quantity of iron ore handled by the port rose 8.9% over 1999 to almost 21.0 Mt. due to increased demand in the United States. Domestic cargo handled at Sept-Îles/Pointe-Noire declined by 8.6% to 4.3 Mt. due mainly to an 18.5% decline in domestic shipments of iron ore.

Montréal (including Contrecoeur) handled 20.0 Mt. of cargo in 2000, a slight decline from 1999 due mainly to lower quantities of liquid bulk commodities primarily fuel oil and gasoline, and dry bulk, particularly salt and other non-metallic minerals. Montreal handled a record number of containers in 2000; - 941,887 TEUs with a record 8.9 Mt. of international containerized cargo. The port continued to be the number one North American gateway port for European containerized cargo, handling 8.5 Million tonnes of this freight in 2000. (The port of New York/New Jersey was the second port with 7.9 Million tonnes of European container cargo in 2000 based on data provided by Marine Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.). 

The total tonnage handled by the port of Saint John, New Brunswick, declined 2.3% from 1999 to 19.2 Mt. in 2000. Shipments of bulk liquids, particularly crude petroleum, gasoline and aviation fuels and dry bulk, mostly potash, were responsible for the decline. International cargo, which accounted for over 90% of the total tonnage handled at Saint John, declined just 1.2% to 17.4 Mt. in 2000 from 17.6 Mt in 1999. Domestic cargo declined 11.7% from 2.1Mt. in 1999 to 1.8 Mt. in 2000 due mainly to decreased demand for crude petroleum from Canadian sources. However, international containerized tonnage rose 13.3% over 1999 to 318 kilotonnes (Kt.) in 2000 due to increased traffic between Saint John and South America, Oceania and the Middle East.

Total cargo handled by the port of Québec (including Lévis) fell 3.9% from 1999 to 15.7 Mt. in 2000. International cargo, which accounted for almost 85% of the total cargo declined only slightly (0.7%), down to 13.2 Mt. The main reason for the decline in international cargo was a decline in shipments of corn from U.S. Great Lake ports that was transshipped through Québec to overseas ports in 1999. This was offset by an increase in inbound shipments of crude petroleum which reached 7.6 Mt. in 2000. The port handled 18.2% less domestic cargo in 2000, down to 2.4 Mt. due to lower loadings of fuel oil and unloadings of wheat.

The total tonnage handled at the port of Halifax declined 3.4% from 1999 to 13.8 Mt. in 2000. International cargo accounted for 11.0 Mt or 80% of the total cargo. The decline in total traffic was mainly attributable to a decline in crude petroleum inbound from the North Sea and Venezuela. Halifax handled a record quantity of containerized international freight in 2000, with 4.2 Mt. and 513,531 TEUs.

Hamilton handled 11.8 Mt. of marine cargo in 2000, up 3.3% from 1999. The increase was due entirely to international traffic which increased 17.3% to 5.7 Mt. Domestic traffic was down 7.1% to 6.1 Mt. in 2000. Iron ore and concentrates played a significant role in both the increase in international traffic and the decrease in domestic traffic. International shipments of iron ore increased by 509 kilotonnes (Kt.) of which 179 Kt. was outbound international. Iron ore unloaded from other Canadian ports declined by 369 Kt. (6.8%) from 1999.

Fraser River Port handled almost 11.0 Mt. of marine cargo in 2000, with significant increases in both domestic and international cargo handled. Domestic cargo accounted for 7.4 Mt. or 67.8% of the total tonnage handled by the port. A 17.0% increase in domestic traffic was driven by increased shipments of forest products (notably woodchips and newsprint) and limestone. The port handled a record 3.5 Mt. of international cargo, up 21.9% over 1999. Iron and steel, logs and other wood in the rough and cement were the main commodities contributing to the increase in international traffic, but there were significant increases across a wide number of commodities. This broadly based increase was due to the establishment of new container liner services at Fraser River. The total quantity of containerized freight rose to a record high of 491 kilotonnes, an increase of 55.7% over 1999. This increase in container traffic caused Fraser River Port to become the fourth largest container port in Canada in tonnage and TEU terms.

A jump in shipments of Canadian agricultural products to Europe drove a 7.9% increase in international marine cargo at Thunder Bay. The total international cargo handled in 2000 was 4.2 Mt. However the gains in international cargo were more than offset by an 8.4% decline in domestic cargo. The domestic tonnage dropped to 4.6 Mt in 2000 due mainly to declining outbound shipments of wheat and coal. The combined domestic and international cargo handled at Thunder Bay totaled 8.8 Mt. in 2000, which was 1.3% less than in 1999. 

The total cargo handled at Prince Rupert Port declined 5.5% from 7.6 Mt in 1999 to 7.2 Mt in 2000. The closure of a British Columbia coal mine and the elimination of an ocean carrier service for pulpwood caused a dramatic decline in the loadings of these two commodities. International cargo continued to dominate the traffic at Prince Rupert Port accounting for 99.2% of the total cargo. Almost all of this cargo was outbound to ports overseas.

The Port of Windsor (Ontario) handled almost 5.4 Mt. of marine cargo in 2000, down 1.3% from 1999. However, international cargo, which accounted for 54.1% of the port’s total traffic, was up 2.5% to 2.9 Mt. Domestic cargo declined by 5.4% to 2.5 Mt. Domestic and international shipments of salt, one of the port’s major commodities at 1.5 Mt. in 2000, declined by 11.2% on reports that shipments normally shipped by barge were moved by truck during the first 3 months of the year. Inbound shipments of iron and steel rose almost 52% to 458 kilotonnes. Over 97% of this steel was inbound from international sources. Shipments from the People’s Republic of China and India accounted for most of the increase. The quantity of stone, sand, gravel and crushed stone handled at Windsor also declined by 1.3% from 1999 to 1.3 Mt. This decline was due entirely to domestic traffic as international shipments of stone, sand, gravel and crushed stone actually increased. Windsor also handled 1.1 Mt. of limestone in 2000, almost the same quantity as in 1999.

The total tonnage reported for the North Fraser River port increased 4.9% over 1999 to 4.1 Mt. in 2000, all of which was reported as domestic traffic. The 3 main commodities handled at the port were wood chips (1.7 Mt.), logs and other wood in the rough (1.5 Mt.) and stone, sand, gravel and crushed stone (708 Kilotonnes). The North Fraser River is the major port for tug and barge and log boom traffic on the Pacific Coast. Some of this traffic is loaded and unloaded within the port while some of it is transported through the port to other points on the Fraser River. There are significant differences between the statistics reported by the North Fraser River Port Authority and this publication ⁴.

The port of Trois-Rivières handled 2.3 Mt. of marine cargo in 2000, a 2.2% increase over 1999. International cargo, which accounted for almost 80% of this total, rose 8.9% from 1999 to 1.8 Mt. in 2000. The increase in international cargo was due mainly to increased inbound shipments of coal, fertilizers and non-metallic minerals. Alumina continued to be the dominant international cargo with 504 kilotonnes unloaded in 2000, 4.4% more than in 1999. Trois-Rivières handled 484 kilotonnes of domestic cargo in 2000, down 17.1% from 1999 due mainly to declining shipments of woodpulp.

A total of 1.9 Mt. of marine cargo were handled by the port of Nanaimo in 2000, down 15.9% from 1999 with declines in both domestic and international cargo. The total domestic cargo declined by 10.4% to just under 1,159 kilotonnes while international cargo declined 22.8% to 787 kilotonnes. Shipments of forest products were mainly responsible for the decline in domestic and international traffic.

The total cargo handled by the port of Belledune declined 15.4% from 1999 to 1.9 Mt. in 2000 due mainly to a decrease in coal and coke received from foreign ports and lower shipments of non-metallic and metallic minerals to foreign ports. The port handled a total of 1.6 Mt of international cargo and 253 kilotonnes of domestic cargo in 2000.

Toronto handled 1.7 Mt. of marine cargo in 2000, an increase of 6.2% over 1999. International shipments of iron and steel and sugar from foreign ports were responsible for most of the increased traffic. The port handled 898 kilotonnes of international cargo and 831 kilotonnes of domestic cargo with 99.5% of the combined cargo being inbound to the port.

The port of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador handled just over 1.0 Mt of marine cargo in 2000, an increase of 8.5% over 1999. St. John’s plays an important role in the provisioning of the island portion of the province. Over 95% of the total cargo or 971 kilotonnes was domestic cargo with cargo arriving from Montreal, Halifax and Saint John (NB) accounting for over 85% of the domestic cargo.

The port of Port Alberni handled 874 kilotonnes of cargo in 2000, up 10.0% over 1999. Domestic traffic increased 22.0% to 683 kilotonnes while international cargo declined 18.4% to 191 kilotonnes. Logs and other wood in the rough received from the pacific coast accounted for all of the increase in domestic tonnage while lumber shipments to foreign ports accounted for the decline in international cargo.

Saguenay Port (Chicoutimi) handled almost 414 kilotonnes of marine cargo in 2000, up 3.2% over 1999. The port handled 335 kilotonnes of international cargo, up 8.3% from 1999 as increased shipments of basic chemicals from foreign ports more than offset a decline in outbound forest product shipments. Domestic cargo declined by 14.4% to 78 kilotonnes due to a lower quantity of salt arriving at the port’s facilities.