Have you ever stopped to think about where the items you use every day come from, beyond the store? From your morning coffee to the shoes on your feet, there’s a good chance it came through Canada’s largest port!
Zoom in on the Port of Vancouver, where millions of exported and imported products pass through each year — approximately 140 million tonnes of goods. This is where (literal) tonnes of commodities like food, pharmaceuticals, clothing, and other essentials enter the country and flow into our community.
The Port of Vancouver is also a significant gateway for Canadian goods like apples, wheat, and manufacturing materials to reach consumers across the globe!
Moving Canadian trade
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
But what exactly is the Port of Vancouver’s role in our country?
The port functions as a powerful connection that reaches up to 170 countries with important cargo (container, bulk, breakbulk, and auto), sustaining more than 130,000 jobs across Canada.
All that work translates to a whopping $16.3 billion in annual GDP across the country — no small feat at all!
It’s an entire ecosystem that works tirelessly where terminals and supply chain partners ensure goods are flowing in and out. The port is also home to the Canada Place cruise terminal, which welcomes over 1 million passengers annually as the homeport for many Alaskan cruises.
Imported products like clothing and shoes, toys, food like fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, and more arrive at the port.
A dedicated team
William Jans Photography/Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
It goes without saying that the port is an essential part of moving Canadian trade and that can’t happen without the dedicated members of the port community who all work together to keep it going.
We’d like to give a huge shoutout to all the marine carriers and pilots, longshore workers, terminal operators, railway workers, trucking companies, and drivers out there!
So next time you grind up some coffee beans, you can thank the mighty Port of Vancouver and all of the amazing partners in the supply chain!
Intrigued to know more? Head on over to the port’s website and start learning!