Port activity

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Canadian ports and marine terminals handled 450.0 million tonnes of cargo in 2010, up 9.8% from 2009. This was the first increase in tonnage in three years and the largest growth rate in two decades.

The gain, which followed declines of 11.7% in 2009 and 1.1% in 2008, was the result of strong increases in both international and domestic cargo shipments. Total tonnage was 3.0% below levels seen before the most-recent economic slowdown.

International cargo, which accounted for 74% of total cargo handled, increased 10.5% to 333.6 million tonnes. The major contributors to this increase were outbound shipments of coal and potash and inbound shipments of iron ores and concentrates.

Domestic cargo rose 7.6% to 116.5 million tonnes. The principal commodities behind the growth were iron ores and concentrates, and limestone. Gains in these commodities were partially offset by declines in shipments of salt and wheat.

The total cargo handled by the 17 Canada Port Authorities in 2010 grew 14.5% to 268.6 million tonnes. They accounted for 59.7% of all cargo handled, up from 54.6% in 2008 and 57.2% in 2009.

Cargo shipments between Canada and the United States

Canada's marine freight traffic to and from the United States increased to 102.9 million tonnes in 2010, a 4.0% gain from 2009 and the first increase in five years. This total was 13.2% lower than the 118.6 million tonnes moved between Canadian and American ports in 2008, before the economic slowdown.

The growth in shipments between Canada and the United States was primarily the result of a 19.8% increase in cargo arriving in Canada from Great Lakes ports in the United States. Tonnages of several commodities from this region increased, including iron ores and concentrates, coal and limestone.

Shipments of marine cargo from Canada destined for ports in the United States rose 1.4% to 68.6 million tonnes.

Cargo shipments between Canada and countries other than the United States

International marine shipments with countries other than the United States rose 13.7% to 230.7 million tonnes, the highest level in two decades. Both outbound and inbound cargo shipments were responsible for the increase.

Outbound shipments grew 16.3% to 150.9 million tonnes. The main contributor was cargo destined for Asia, which accounted for over half of the outbound shipments. The principal commodities responsible for the growth were coal, potash, logs and other wood in the rough, and lumber.

Marine cargo arriving in Canada was up 9.1% to 79.8 million tonnes. The gain was the result of shipments from Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East. The increase was partially offset by declines in shipments from Europe, Central America and Antilles, and Oceania.

Container traffic

International container volumes advanced 15.2% to 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2010, while the tonnage rose 11.2% to 38.7 million tonnes.

The growth was driven by an increase in inbound shipments from Asia, as well as shipments both inbound from and outbound to Europe.

The majority of the upswing in international container traffic in 2010 was concentrated in the country's four primary container ports: Port Metro Vancouver, Montréal (including Contrecoeur), Halifax and Prince Rupert.

Port traffic

Port Metro Vancouver, Canada's busiest port by tonnage, handled 104.7 million tonnes of cargo in 2010, up 15.9%. International shipping activity, up 17.1%, led the increase. Domestic activity rose 6.3% to 10.4 million tonnes.

Port Metro Vancouver's overall growth in tonnage was driven by gains in four commodities: coal; potash; logs and other wood in the rough; and lumber. The port is Canada's leading container facility, handling 55.6% of all international containers in the country in 2010. Its container volume rose to 2.5 million TEUs in 2010 from 2.2 million TEUs in 2009, while the tonnage of containerized cargo increased 8.9% to 20.7 million tonnes.

Activity at the port of Saint John, New Brunswick, the second busiest port by tonnage, increased 16.0% to 30.6 million tonnes. This growth was largely the result of increased shipments of crude petroleum, the port's primary commodity, which rose 11.1% to 14.7 million tonnes after remaining relatively stable for the previous three years.

The port of Come-By-Chance in Newfoundland and Labrador handled 27.1 million tonnes of cargo, up 11.2%. The increase was primarily the result of a 10.8% rise in the shipments of crude petroleum, the port's primary commodity.

Port Hawkesbury in Nova Scotia experienced the largest decline in tonnage. It handled 26.3 million tonnes of cargo, down 10.5% from 2009. This decrease was largely the result of a 12.1% decline in the tonnage of crude petroleum.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey numbers, including related surveys, 2751 and 2791.

Annual data will appear in the publication Shipping in Canada (54-205-X, free), which will soon be available.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-866-500-8400; fax: 613-951-0009; transportationstatistics@statcan.gc.ca), Transportation Division.