Bulk shipments of Canadian grain through the port of Vancouver were up more than 22 percent last year.
Figures collected by Port Metro Vancouver show that bulk shipments of grains, oilseeds, feed and specialty crops exceeded 19.6 million tonnes in 2014, up from 16.1 million tonnes a year earlier.
Wheat and canola shipments accounted for the lion’s share of the increase.
Bulk wheat shipments were listed at 8.9 million tonnes in 2014, up 18 percent from the 7.6 million tonnes shipped a year earlier.
Total canola shipments jumped 31 percent to 6.1 million tonnes, up from 4.6 million tonnes in 2013.
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Shipments of non-feed barley were just a hair shy of 700,000 tonnes, up from 400,000 in 2013.
Shipments of specialty crops were down one percent at 2.95 million tonnes.
Doug Mills, senior account representative for bulk cargo at Port Metro, said strong demand for Canadian grain and a large crop harvested in 2013 were the main factors behind the port’s strong 2014 grain numbers.
He said a federal government order requiring Canada’s Class 1 railway carriers to move minimum weekly volumes of western Canadian grain also boosted the port’s 2014 loadings.
However, he said the port’s numbers would have been up significantly, even without the federal order.
“There’s no question, it (the federal order) moved more tonnage over a shorter period of time, so it did help,” Mills said.
“Would all that grain have moved by the end of the (calendar) year anyway? I’m not sure I can answer that question. I don’t think it’s conclusive as to whether or not the federal order was the (reason for the port’s strong grain numbers), but I do think that the tonnage was there and the demand was there.”
Western Canadian farmers harvested close to 75 million tonnes of major grains and oilseeds, which Mills said produced an “unusual blip” in Vancouver’s 2014 grain handlings.
However, the port is expecting steady growth in grain over the longer term, he added.
“Generally, in terms of trending, we are projecting for continued growth,” he said.
“We believe it is going to continue, and we see that through the (investments) by the grain companies themselves.”
Mills said most of the grain companies that have grain export facilities on the Vancouver waterfront are undertaking major capital expansions aimed at increasing storage, enhancing efficiency and improving throughput capacity.
“They’re all preparing for larger volumes of grain,” he said.
Vancouver’s containerized grain shipments were also up in 2014.
Outbound shipments of containerized specialty crops were listed at 2.67 million tonnes last year, up six percent from 2013.
Outbound shipments of containerized cereal grains were up 25 percent at 393,000 tonnes.
Japan was easily the most popular destination for Canadian wheat shipped through Vancouver. Nearly 1.4 million tonnes, or 15 percent of the wheat shipped through Vancouver, was destined for that country.
Peru was the second most popular destination, followed by Colombia, Italy and Bangladesh.
China was easily the most common destination for outbound canola.
Canola shipments to China were listed at nearly three million tonnes in 2014, which was almost 50 percent of the port’s total canola traffic last year.
Robin Silvester, president of Port Metro Vancouver, said the port will continue to accommodate growth in Canadian trade while respecting the interests of other groups.
“The port had another record year for cargo volumes, illustrating the demands created by a growing Canadian economy and increasing international desire for Canadian trade,” Silvester said.
“I’m proud of the leading edge environmental initiatives, community engagement and infrastructure projects we have completed this year to help balance this continued growth with our local quality of life.”
brian.cross@producer.com
