b'26American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comCANADA PORTS 2025 Cargo surging at Canadas leading West Coast portsDespitegeopoliticaltension,Can-adasWestCoastportvolumesare growing as is optimism for the future. By Leo Ryan, AJOTAt Canadas leading ports on the West Coast, an opti-mistic outlook prevails despite persistent world geopoliti-cal tensions and slowing global growth. This is a reflection ofcurrentcargovolumegrowthnumbersinbothbulk productsandcontainerscombiningwithongoinginfra-Artist rendering of Port of Montreals Contrecoeur container terminal project moving towards completion by 2029. structure projects to develop competitive supply chains.P ort ofv anCouverMapping a future built on greater diversificationFollowingarecordperformancein2024,cargo trends in the first half of 2025 at Canadas biggest port and European trade point to another robust performance this year. Thus far, there appears to have been a limited negative impact on By Leo Ryan, AJOT the port of the ongoing global tariff war ignited by US President Trump.ShortlybeforeCanadasfederalparliamentwasstrengthen port and energy infrastructures that would alsoShriMadiwal,Vice-PresidentOperationsand to resume its business sessions in mid-September aftertarget LNG exports. Supply Chain for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority thesummerrecess,PrimeMinisterMarkCarneywasIndeed,recentinternalgovernmentpollsreport- (VFPA), reports an increase in the total volumes of strongly hinting that an austerity budget would soonedly showed overwhelming public support for not onlycargo coming in.be introduced. But it appeared unlikely that the chop- improved port infrastructure, but for more hydroelectricIn the first six months of 2025, the volumes are very ping block would apply to investing incertain major porttransmission, more offshore wind farms, new oil pipe- strong- partly due to the tariffs happening down south, projects, particularly upgrades to the ports of Montreallines and building natural gas terminals. and also partly due to all the international demand for and Churchill, Manitoba that he championed while on angrain, potash and energy products, he indicated.August trip to Germany. P ort ofM ontreal On the container front, cumulative statistics to end In response to President Trumps tariff warfare, theAtCanadassecondleadingcontainerport,latestJuly showed a total of 2.2 million TEUsversus 2.07 Carney government is clearly seeking to bolster Canadiandevelopments confirm that the biggest project in its his- million TEUs a year earlier.economic and energy ties in Europe and diversify Cana- tory is moving concretely towards achievement - nota- The port handled a record 158 million metric tons das international trade landscape. He talked of unleash- bly in the wake of delays in finding a private partner and(MMT) of cargo in 2024, a 5% increase year-over-year that ing half a trillion dollars of investment within weeks to(FUTUREcontinued on page 28) (SURGINGcontinued on page 31)'