Total international and domestic cargo throughput for the third quarter of 2005 reached 10,032,336 tonnes at Fraser River Port, exceeding the 9,605,823 tonnes for the third quarter in 2004.  Year-to-date totals reached 29,189,047 tonnes, an 8 per cent increase over the same three quarters of 2004.

International Cargo

International cargo exports saw modest three per cent growth to 2,340,434 tonnes over the same three quarters last year. Offsetting some declines, the largest percentage increase in exports over the three quarters were wood products, autos and logs.  International imports remained relatively unchanged over the same three month period, with some gains offsetting declines.  Automobile imports at the port rose by six per cent, reaching a total of 339,123 vehicles cumulatively through the three quarters.

There was a six per cent decrease in ship arrivals at the end of the third quarter despite the increased throughput, with totals reaching 515, versus 545 by the end of the third quarter of 2004.

Domestic Cargo

Inbound and outbound domestic cargo volumes grew 10 per cent over the same three quarters of 2004, to a total 25,001,318 tonnes. Inbound lumber, which had not shipped at all over the first three quarters of 2004, shipped 41,500 tonnes. Inbound paper volumes increased 80 per cent against the same three quarters of 2004, whereas inbound pulp volumes fell 63 per cent. General cargo led outbound cargo growth, increasing to 8,687,857 tonnes, followed by logs (up13 per cent) and steel (up 52 per cent).

The Fraser River Port Authority oversees Canada’s second busiest port based on total cargo volume. Fraser River Port is Canada’s largest fresh water port and its largest automobile port. It encompasses 270 kilometers of shoreline along the Fraser River from its mouth in the Strait of Georgia, east to Pitt Lake and Kanaka Creek.

International Cargo Summary - 3rd Quarter 2005
Domestic Cargo Summary - 3rd Quarter 2005