Direction and transportation | Port of Vancouver (2024)

FAQs

What is the nickname of the automobile ship in the Port of Vancouver? ›

Five major types of ships visit the Port of Vancouver: RoRo's (“roll on, roll off” automobile transport ships), breakbulk (e.g., lumber), bulk (e.g., sulphur, potash), container ships, and cruise ships.

Trade at the Port of Vancouver

Connects Canada with approximately 140 to 170 countries annually. Handles $1 of every $3 of Canada's trade in goods outside of North America. Enables the trade of approximately $305 billion in goods annually. Sustains 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages through port activities each year.

On a cruise from Vancouver, you'll depart from the Canada Place cruise terminal, which is conveniently located in downtown Vancouver and is just a 30-minute drive from the Vancouver International Airport near many restaurants, attractions, and shopping.

A combination of a large number of imports plus an inadequate number of railcars to move those goods is causing backlogs and congestion at West Coast ports in Canada – particularly at Vancouver, a major arrival point for promotional products from overseas.

The port amalgamated with the Fraser River Port Authority and the North Fraser Port Authority in 2008 to form Port Metro Vancouver, which has now adopted the Port of Vancouver name.

British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd. (BCRTC), on behalf of TransLink, maintains and operates two of the three SkyTrain lines in Metro Vancouver — the Expo Line and the Millennium Line — as well as the West Coast Express commuter rail service.

However, there are no shares and the port authority is effectively “owned” by the federal government through Transport Canada. This allows port authorities to operate in a commercially nimble way, which helps ensure Canada's trade needs are well met, ultimately supporting our national economy.

1. Port of Shanghai, China. The Port of Shanghai is a symbol of China's economic significance, stretching across the Yangtze River Delta. Its staggering volume of 47.28 million TEUs is supported by state-of-the-art technology and a strategic location that has made it the linchpin of global trade.

From the city centre: As mentioned above, Vancouver Cruise Port is conveniently located in downtown Vancouver. If you are staying in nearby Gastown, it is only a 10-minute walk or a 5-minute drive to the port. If you are staying in the West End, it is a 30-minute walk or a 7-minute drive to the port.

How far is downtown Vancouver from Cruise Port? ›

Getting from Vancouver cruise port to the city centre is easy, as it is already helpfully situated in downtown Vancouver. So, with the distance from Vancouver cruise port to the city centre downtown being less than a mile, you can walk to the area's attractions in just a few minutes.

Ships that terminate in U.S. ports may require passengers to fill out Customs forms and show their passports to border control in the cruise terminal. Some passengers might be required to meet with immigration officials on board prior to getting off the ship.

Sulfur: The city in the background, Vancouver, is represented by the Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant and Canada Place. The triangular, yellow piles are the sulfur piles of the Pacific Coast Terminals (PCT) in Port Moody, which is part of Greater Vancouver.

With more than 16,000 hectares of water serving approximately 3,200 commercial ship visits each year—not to mention traffic from local recreational boaters—the Port of Vancouver is a big and busy place.

Vancouver's reputation at risk

Robert Lewis-Manning with the Chamber of Shipping says he wasn't surprised to hear about Vancouver's dismal ranking last year because the port is limited in being able to react to major changes, including a surge in products coming from Asia.

Vancouver named many features for his officers, friends, associates, and his ship Discovery, including: Mount Baker – after Discovery's 3rd Lieutenant Joseph Baker, the first on the expedition to spot it.

Types of RORO vessels include ferries, cruiseferries, cargo ships, barges, and RoRo service for air/ railway deliveries. New automobiles that are transported by ship are often moved on a large type of RORO called a pure car carrier (PCC) or pure car/truck carrier (PCTC).

Saltwater City (Chinese: 鹹水埠) – name for Vancouver used by early Chinese immigrants to the city.

Gastown is a very popular name but it's also known as Vancity. Some people also call vancouver as rain city or Raincouver becuase of continuous rains in Summers and winters :) Rain is unpredictable here.