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Highlights

1. Activity at Canada's ports hit another record high in 2004 in the wake of a moderate increase in international cargo. Overall, shipments increased at 12 of the country's top 20 ports.
2. Ports handled a record high of just over 452.3 million metric tonnes of freight during the year, up 1.9% from the previous record set in 2003. However, this was a marked slowdown from the growth rate of 8.7% during the previous year.
3. International cargo accounted for virtually all of the increase in tonnage during 2004.
4. Despite a protracted labour dispute in the iron ore industry, international shipments increased 2.6% to a record 314.6 million tonnes. Sharp gains in crude petroleum, grains and potash offset equally sharp declines in shipments of iron ores and concentrates and coal.
5. Ports handled 137.8 million tonnes of domestic cargo, virtually unchanged from 2003. Domestic shipments of crude petroleum, wheat and newsprint declined, while shipments of stone, sand, gravel and crushed stone and limestone were on the rise.
6. Growth in container traffic continued unabated in both volume and tonnage handled. In 2004, ports handled a record 3.7 million twenty-foot equivalents (TEUs) containing 31.2 million tonnes of cargo, up from 3.4 million TEUs and 28.2 million tonnes in 2003.
7. The port of Sept-Îles, including Pointe-Noire, recorded the biggest decline in tonnage among the 20 largest ports (-25.0%). Shipping activity at the port fell to 17.0 million tonnes, its lowest level since 1982. A prolonged labour dispute at two mining companies resulted in a 26.7% plunge in shipments of the port’s major commodity, iron ore and concentrates.
8. Activity at Vancouver, the nation’s busiest port, rose 10.4% to 75.0 million tonnes in 2004, spurred by increased demand from Asia. The gain was due to increased shipments of several bulk commodities, coupled with a record volume of containerized cargo.
9. At the port of Saint John, N.B., shipments remained virtually unchanged at 26.2 million tonnes. Domestic shipments of crude petroleum fell in the wake of declining oil production from the offshore fields of Newfoundland and Labrador.
10. In Montreal, including Contrecoeur, cargo reached 23.3 million tonnes, its highest level since 1984. A record volume of container traffic contributed to a surge in international activity. Containerized cargo accounted for 58% of the international cargo handled at the port.
11. Shipments at the port of Quebec, including Lévis, reached a record 21.7 million tonnes in 2004, up 6.3% from 2003. An upswing in international cargo, specifically, iron ores and concentrates, coal and fuel oils, was primarily responsible.
12. Total cargo handled at Fraser River port rose 11.5% to 14.9 million tonnes, led by an increase in international containerized shipments. Since 2002, the volume of container traffic at the port has more than tripled, and the tonnage of containerized cargo now accounts for 43.0% of its international cargo.
13. At the port of Halifax, shipments remained virtually unchanged at 14.2 million tonnes. In 2004, an increase in international inbound shipments of crude petroleum, the port’s primary commodity, offset a sharp decline in shipments of domestic crude petroleum. Halifax was the third busiest container port in the country.
14. Marine traffic to and from the United States held steady at 123.3 million tonnes as a gain in outbound shipments offset a decline in inbound cargo. Increased shipments of crude petroleum destined for the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states continued to account for the bulk of the increase in outbound cargo. The decline in inbound cargo was driven by a sharp drop in coal arriving from the Great Lakes region of the United States.
15. Canada’s marine traffic to and from overseas ports reached a record 191.3 million tonnes in 2004. Inbound shipments from overseas ports, fuelled by a second consecutive year of record shipments of crude petroleum, were primarily responsible for the growth. Outbound shipments showed only a moderate gain.