Bumper grain shipments lift North Vancouver port export volumes to 88M tonnes year-to-date

The Story

North Shore port terminals are moving higher volumes of Canadian bulk grain for international markets in 2026, even as overall North Shore export volumes dip slightly due to lower metallurgical coal shipments.

Jeff Scott, vice president of operations and supply chain for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said the port is at “88 million metric tonnes year-to-date, mid-year,” and that “the North Shore represents 23.4 million metric tonnes.” He added that “just over 25 per cent of the overall cargo that the Port of Vancouver trades goes through the North Shore.”

Scott said bulk grain shipments are up about 14 per cent in the first half of 2026, with strength in canola and barley as well as specialty crops. Those commodities are shipped through North Shore grain terminals including G3 and Richardson, as well as Vancouver Wharves.

He attributed the higher grain volumes to a record crop yield on the Prairies being shipped to international markets. Scott said China remains a strong market for grains, while European, Mexican and Pakistani markets have also grown.

For specialty crops, Scott said volumes of lentils and peas moving to customers in China and Bangladesh have doubled, and shipments to India have almost tripled.

Fertilizer movements are mixed: Scott said potash shipments are down about two per cent but are “holding at about five million metric tonnes.” He said potash is shipped from Neptune Terminals to 23 international markets, with top destinations including Brazil, Indonesia and China.

Other fertilizer components are holding steady at about seven million metric tonnes. Scott also said shipments of sulphur—used in fertilizer and industrial manufacturing—are up five per cent.

While grain and other commodities remain strong, Scott said the slight dip in North Shore volumes is driven by a 16 per cent drop in metallurgical coal exports in the first half of 2026 to 10.5 million metric tonnes. He said that decline is due to a planned, temporary reduction in mine production.

Scott pointed to planned and ongoing infrastructure investment to support export growth, including an announcement in September by Canpotex that it will spend $500 million upgrading its potash export facility at Neptune Terminals, as well as continued infrastructure investments by North Vancouver grain terminals.

He said the port is supporting Ottawa’s goal to diversify trade away from the United States and double export capacity in the next 10 years, adding that the port is “looking at opportunities to grow and expand and create more capacity to move commodities to a larger group of trading partners globally.”