A sharp increase in oil and grain exports helped drive a record volume of cargo through the Port of Vancouver during the first half of 2026, reflecting a broader effort by Canadian traders to reduce their reliance on U.S. markets.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority reported a three per cent year-over-year increase in overall freight volumes for the six months ended June 30, with crude oil and canola seed among the main contributors to the gain.
Port authority chief executive Peter Xotta said exporters are showing “a degree of focus and urgency” in moving Canadian commodities to markets outside North America, including fossil fuels.
“The U.S. percentage of crude oil shipments is declining … as those global destinations for Alberta crude increase,” Xotta said in a phone interview from Canada Place overlooking Vancouver Harbour.
“China and other Asian destinations are playing a pretty significant role in that.”
The shift is particularly visible in the crude oil trade. Shipments to Asia increased by 24 per cent, while the proportion of Canadian crude moving through Vancouver to the United States fell significantly compared with 2025.
The share of crude exports destined for the U.S. dropped to about one-fifth, from roughly one-third a year earlier, according to Xotta.
Overall crude oil exports through the port increased three per cent year over year in the first half of 2026, reaching a record 12 million tonnes.
The increase comes as the Trans Mountain expansion continues to reshape Vancouver’s export gateway. The expanded, twinned pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, B.C., opened in 2024 and significantly increased access to overseas markets, particularly China and South Korea.
“The Trans Mountain expansion is really continuing to be a much more dominant commodity in the gateway than we have experienced historically,” Xotta said.
Crude accounted for the majority of petroleum shipments through the port, while aviation fuel imports also recorded a substantial increase.
Aviation fuel imports rose by 25 per cent as airlines turned increasingly to supplies from outside the Middle East, where the Iran war has sharply disrupted exports.
South Korean aviation fuel shipments alone surged 305 per cent to approximately 160,000 tonnes, bringing them close to half of the port’s total aviation fuel volume, according to the port authority.
Grain was another major driver of Vancouver’s record first-half performance. Bulk grain exports jumped 14 per cent from a year earlier to a record 17.4 million tonnes by the end of June.
“Canadian agriculture is really surging, partly on the back of good crop outcomes in the last year, and frankly the last two years,” Xotta said.
China, Japan and South Korea continued to account for major shares of Canadian bulk grain demand. At the same time, containerized exports of lentils, peas and beans increased by nearly two-thirds, driven by stronger demand from Bangladesh, India and other emerging markets.
Europe and Mexico also increased purchases of canola seed, alongside China.
Canada’s canola trade with China remains complicated by tariffs. Beijing imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola oil in March 2025 in retaliation for Canadian duties on Chinese electric vehicles. China then introduced a 76 per cent anti-dumping duty on Canadian canola seed in August 2025.
The seed duty has since been reduced to 15 per cent, although the 100 per cent tariff on canola oil remains in place. The trade barrier is one factor behind a 14 per cent year-over-year decline in vegetable and animal oil volumes moving through Vancouver.
Other commodities faced pressure as well. Shipments of chemicals, basic metals and minerals declined three per cent year over year, partly reflecting the impact of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, Xotta said.
Automotive cargo moved in the opposite direction. Vehicle volumes through the port increased 10 per cent during the first half of 2026 as manufacturers sought alternatives to the U.S. market, while imports from Japan and South Korea increased sharply.
Containerized trade also remained positive. Imports rose two per cent, while exports climbed four per cent, which Xotta described as evidence of “resilience in the face of an uncertain and unpredictable geopolitical landscape.”
The Port of Vancouver handles roughly half of Canada’s two-way container trade, giving its performance a significant role in the country’s broader international freight network.
With the United States adopting a more protectionist trade posture, Xotta said the port wants to support Canada’s ambition of doubling exports to non-U.S. markets over the next decade.
The proportion of Vancouver’s trade linked to the United States is “for sure” not increasing, he said.
Port figures show that the U.S. accounted for less than 15 per cent of all shipments through Vancouver, roughly in line with the first half of 2025.
At the same time, U.S. travelers continued to head north in large numbers.
Cruise operations at the port were on track for their busiest season on record, with 141 ships scheduled to bring about 560,000 passengers between February and June. At least 60 per cent of those passengers were U.S. residents, many traveling through Vancouver on their way to Alaska, Xotta said.
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