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Shipping in Canada
2003
Highlights
- Canadian ports handled record-breaking levels of freight for the second consecutive year in 2003 as international cargo rebounded from a two-year slump and domestic shipments hit a 15-year high.
- In total, a record 443.0 million metric tonnes of cargo passed through Canada's ports, up 8.5% from the previous record in 2002. It was the second consecutive year that port activity surpassed 400 million metric tonnes.
- The amount of international cargo rose 8.5% to a record 306.6 million tonnes. Increased shipments of crude petroleum, iron ore and concentrates, coal and colza seeds (canola) were partially offset by declines in shipments of other non-metallic minerals and gasoline and aviation turbine fuel.
- On the other hand, domestic cargo rose 8.7% to 136.4 million tonnes, the highest level since 1988.
- Shipments of crude petroleum, which reached 40.1 million tonnes, accounted for 85% of the total gain in domestic shipments. (Domestic cargo is handled twice by terminals - once when it is loaded, and again when unloaded.)
- International container traffic also experienced a second record-breaking year for both volume and tonnage handled in 2003.
- Container volumes at Canadian ports reached 3.4 million 20-foot equivalents, a 10.5% increase. Container tonnage climbed to 28.2 million tonnes from 25.6 million tonnes in 2002.
- The port of Vancouver rebounded in 2003, recording its first gain in total cargo since 2000. The port was still the nation's busiest, moving 67.9 million tonnes of marine cargo, a gain of 4.8 million tonnes from 2002.
- The recovery was led by a sharp increase in grains, coupled with higher shipments of coal and potash. In addition, Vancouver handled a record number of containers and accounted for almost 46% of all containers handled in the country.
- The port of Saint John, N.B. handled 25.9 million tonnes of cargo, up 2.6%. The port's major commodity remained crude petroleum at 12.3 million tonnes, nearly all of it from overseas ports. However, the proportion derived from the domestic market, specifically the Atlantic Region, continued to grow. In addition, total shipments of fuel oils and potash were up, while shipments of gasoline and aviation turbine fuels remained unchanged.
- Sept-Îles (including Pointe-Noire) handled 22.7 million tonnes in 2003, a 12.8% increase. The growth resulted from a jump in international shipments, specifically, higher outbound shipments to Asia and Europe, primarily of iron ores and concentrates. Domestic shipments fell 11.5%.
- Total tonnage handled at Québec (including Lévis) increased 14.0% to 20.3 million tonnes. Leading the international growth were increased inbound shipments of crude petroleum, iron ores and concentrates and other oil seeds and nuts and other agricultural products. Higher shipments of fuel oils and other metallic ores and concentrates were primarily responsible for the increase in domestic cargo.
- The total cargo handled at the port of Montréal (including Contrecoeur) rebounded by 10.8% after two-year slump to 20.3 million tonnes. Leading the recovery were significantly higher shipments of petroleum products. Montreal's container traffic continued to grow as the port handled a record of just over 1 million 20-foot equivalents of international containers.
- Shipments at the port of Halifax increased 10.3% to 14.2 million tonnes. International shipments experienced a turnaround as a result of a sharp gain in shipments of fuel oils, primarily from United States Atlantic and Gulf region, and Central America and Antilles region. Domestic cargo increased on the strength of a jump in crude petroleum shipments. The port of Halifax remained the third busiest international container port in the nation, handling a record level of container tonnage.
- Fraser River Port handled 13.7 million tonnes, up 9.0% due to increased international shipments, particularly containerized cargo. During the previous two years, the port has increasingly become more of a destination point for overseas cargo.
- Canada's marine traffic to and from the United States rose 8.0% to 123.5 million tonnes in 2003. Outbound shipments to the United States accounted for most of the growth as they rose 11.5%. After declining the year previous, inbound cargo posted a 1.9% gain.
- For a second consecutive year, the upsurge in US-bound cargo was propelled by increased shipments of crude petroleum, a result of record-breaking production levels from Newfoundland and Labrador's two offshore oilfields, Hibernia and Terra Nova.
- Also contributing to the growth were increased shipments of iron ores and concentrates and fuel oils. These gains were countered by declines in other non-metallic minerals and gasoline and aviation turbine fuels.
- Coal shipments arriving from the United States remained virtually unchanged from 2002 at 18.9 million tonnes, but they continued to account for the majority of all inbound shipments.
- Increases in several commodities, including crude petroleum, fuel oils, coal, coke and petroleum coke and salt were almost entirely offset by declines in limestone, other basic chemicals and other oilseeds and nuts and other agricultural products.
- Ships registered in Canada handled 42.0% of the Canada-US cargo in 2003, down from 44.1% in 2002.
- The majority of this activity occurs in the Great Lakes where Canadian-flag ships continued to dominate, handling 80.5% of the cargo exchanged with the Great Lakes ports in the United States.
- US-flag vessels carried 11.0% of Canada-US cargo, up from 9.0% in 2002. Foreign-flag ships carried the remaining 47.0%.
- Canada's marine traffic to and from overseas ports rebounded in 2003 to 183.2 million tonnes after posting declines in each of the two previous years. Gains were reported in both inbound and outbound cargo.
- The growth in traffic to overseas ports was led by an increase in shipments of iron ore and concentrates, coal and colza seeds (canola).
- After sharply declining in 2002, shipments of crude petroleum arriving from overseas ports bounced back in 2003 to a record 33.3 million tonnes.
- Other commodities contributing to the increase in cargo arriving from overseas ports included fuel oils, alumina and fertilizers (excluding potash). Shipments of iron and steel, primary or semi-finished, declined.
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