New features, new layout

The Monthly Container Port Monitor – now in its 23rd year of publication – has undergone a thorough redesign. The new features include a benchmarking tool, seasonally adjusted trends for easier comparison and a data sheet with port-level time series.

From this month onwards, we will focus on one port in particular – starting with the port of Vancouver. It is one out of six major container ports monitored on the North American West Coast.

While US West Coast ports lost cargo volumes compared with the previous year and are currently on a negative trend, Vancouver increased its Q4 container traffic by 15% over the same quarter 2024 and is currently on a positive growth trend. The same holds for its smaller neighbour Prince Rupert, where container traffic was declining until 2023, but is pointing upwards again.

The strong differences between the US ports and its Canadian counterparts show how tariffs shape trade flows in this strongly import-oriented port range.