March 3, 1999 : Shipments through Fraser River Port in 1998 climbed steadily to 23,811,475 tonnes, an increase of 7% over the previous year’s cumulative total of 22,221,573 tonnes. Volumes include a 33% increase in container shipments which totalled 24,911 TEUs.

Although all cargo sectors were affected by the global economic downturn known as the Asian flu, the overall impact on Fraser River Port was minimal in 1998. Activity remained steady for the port’s principal niche cargoes: forest products, automobiles and steel.

Recent infrastructure investments and capital improvements continued to attract new cargo and increased container traffic. The additional berth at Fraser River Port’s general cargo terminal helped boost deepsea ship arrivals by another 41 ships for a total of 529 calls in 1998.

The automobiles terminals posted a modest increase in the number of units shipped, 259,360 over 258,831 in 1997 which was a significant increase over 1996 levels.

In the forest products sector, pulp shipments remained steady while paper exports increased by 28% to 114,685 tonnes. This increase again proves the wisdom of the port’s investments in the new pulp and paper shed at Fraser Surrey Docks.

The steel business continued to be a significant part of Fraser River Port’s cargo mix with imports posting an increase of 12% to 638,841 tonnes.

The Fraser River Port Economic Impact Study 1998, indicated that Fraser River Port continues to be a key economic engine. In 1997, Fraser River Port’s cargo volumes were valued at $9.2 billion, which translates into a contribution of $1.4 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a sustained level of 24,035 jobs in Canada.

Fraser River Port is administered by the Fraser River Harbour Commission and is designated as a Canada Port Authority under the National Ports System.

For further information contact:

Raija Orava
Manager, Public Affairs
Fraser River Port Authority
Tel. (604) 524-6655