International shipping was especially strong with an 18% increase in volumes to 1,596,168 tonnes this year from 1,349,016 tonnes in 2003. Overall total domestic cargo volumes dipped only 3% from last year settling at 6,647,718 in tonnes.

Container volume increased 37% for a total of 73,516 TEUs this year compared to last year’s 53,740 TEUs.

There were 178 ship arrivals in this year’s first quarter, down from 198 last year.

The Fraser River Port Authority is responsible for Canada’s second busiest port based on total cargo volume. Fraser River Port is Canada’s largest fresh water port and covers 227 kilometres of shoreline along the Fraser River from Langley to its mouth in the Georgia Strait. Over 36 million tonnes of cargo were shipped through Fraser River Port in 2002, generating $2.1 billion in local economic output and 12,400 direct jobs.