International imports reached 1,984,341 tonnes at the end of the third quarter, exceeding the same cumulative quarters in 2003 by 497,119 tonnes (22 per cent). And while international exports were down slightly over the same quarter last year, cumulatively volumes remain six per cent higher than last year’s total. Container volumes continued their notable increases in both imports and exports, with overall volumes up 27 per cent over last year to 234,185 TEUs.

Inbound domestic cargo volumes exceeded the totals for the first three quarters of 2003 by nine per cent, with the largest percentage growth seen in pulp (up 98 per cent), gypsum (up 19 per cent) and aggregate shipments (up 18 per cent). Relative outbound domestic cargo volumes grew at a more modest two per cent over the period, led by hog fuels (up 59 per cent), logs (up 54 per cent) and wood chips (up 14 per cent).

Fraser River Port is Canada’s second busiest port based on total cargo volume and Canada’s largest fresh water port, covering 227 kilometers of shoreline along British Columbia’s Fraser River, from Langley to its mouth in the Strait of Georgia.