Port-wide vessel scheduling now operational, giving Canada’s largest port a powerful tool to keep trade flowing

Press Release

Nov 25, 2025

Vancouver, B.C. — The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has completed the final phase of its centralized scheduling system implementation, bringing the Fraser River, Roberts Bank, and the English Bay anchorage area into the system and achieving a full port-wide coverage. This milestone marks a significant step forward for the port authority-led Active Vessel Traffic Management Program and comes at a pivotal time for Canada’s supply chains as the country seeks to diversify markets and strengthen resilience amid shifting global trade dynamics.

With full coverage now in place, the system will support efficient, safe ship movements for more than 3,000 annual port calls across 29 marine terminals, including approximately 800 deep-sea vessel calls in the Fraser River and at Roberts Bank—areas where over $200 billion worth of trade flows each year.

“Today’s milestone shows what we can achieve when we bring technology and collaboration together to meet the moment for Canada’s supply chain,” said Sean Baxter, Harbour Master and Director of Marine Operations at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “Across the gateway, partners and operators have worked closely with the port authority to develop, test, and adopt this system so we can streamline vessel movements, strengthen safety, and ensure the Port of Vancouver continues to support Canada’s trade diversification and economic resilience.”

Since its initial implementation in Burrard Inlet in late 2023, the system has significantly improved cargo flow through the port. In 2024 alone, it facilitated a 56% year-over-year increase in deep-sea vessel traffic transiting through Second Narrows, one of the port’s busiest trade corridors. By improving visibility over ship movements, it has also enabled CN to increase the average weekly train count serving North Shore terminals across the Second Narrows Rail Bridge by 10%, helping reduce freight delays and improve overall throughput.

“The centralized scheduling system provides CN with critical visibility over vessels transiting—or scheduled to transit—under the Second Narrows Rail Bridge,” said Brad Butterwick, Vice President, Transportation – Western Region, CN. “This enables us to anticipate when the bridge will need to be lifted for marine vessels and adjust train or vessel movements accordingly. The system, combined with our ongoing collaboration with the port authority, helps reduce the likelihood of congestion, minimizes wait times, and supports a more predictable and efficient flow of freight in and out of the Port of Vancouver.”

The Fraser River Pilots Committee, whose members navigate deep-sea vessels through the river’s narrow, dynamic channel, say the system’s recent implementation in this final rollout phase adds an important layer of visibility in one of the port’s most complex operating areas.

“The Fraser River presents unique navigational challenges, from confined waters to changing river flow conditions,” said Captain Gord Cooper, Chair, Fraser River Pilots Committee. “The centralized scheduling system adds an important layer of visibility that supports safer and more predictable deep-sea vessel transits.”

With the centralized scheduling system now fully deployed, supply chain partners, operators, and more than 450 registered users have the tools needed to plan, coordinate, and move cargo and people more effectively across Canada’s largest and most diversified port.

About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the Port of Vancouver

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the arm’s-length federal agency that stewards the lands and waters that make up the Port of Vancouver, alongside the enduring stewardship of First Nations. As a Canada Port Authority, it is accountable to the federal Minister of Transport and operates pursuant to the Canada Marine Act. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s purpose is to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver by being reliable and innovative, while protecting the environment. The port authority is structured as a non-share corporation, is financially self-sufficient and does not rely on tax dollars for operations. Revenues come from port terminals and tenants who lease port lands, and from port users who pay various fees such as harbour dues. Profits are reinvested in port operating services and infrastructure.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s gateway to diverse markets, enabling trade of approximately $350 billion every year with 170 countries. Located on the southwest coast of British Columbia in Canada, its 29 major deep-water terminals and more than 1,000 tenants move goods and people across five sectors (auto, bulk, breakbulk, container and cruise). The port is made up of approximately 16,000 ha of water, 1,500 ha of land and 350 km of shoreline, extending across Burrard Inlet, Fraser River and Roberts Bank. It borders 16 municipalities and intersects the traditional territories and treaty lands of more than 35 Coast Salish First Nations. The Port of Vancouver is the fourth largest port in North America by tonnage and handles almost as much cargo as Canada’s next five largest ports combined. Port operations sustain more than 132,000 supply chain and related jobs across Canada.

Media contact

Sarah Matak
Senior communications advisor
phone_android604.649.7805
mailSarah.Matak@portvancouver.com

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