Port of Vancouver vessel traffic management system enhances marine safety and trade efficiency throughout Burrard Inlet

The centralized scheduling system will help coordinate more than 5,000 commercial ship movements every year in the Port of Vancouver’s busiest waterway

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says it is expanding a centralized scheduling system for marine traffic to include the entire Burrard Inlet, boosting safety and efficiency in one of Canada’s most important trade gateways. The system allows the port authority to take an active role sequencing commercial ship movements in Burrard Inlet—which is home to 23 of the Port of Vancouver’s 29 major terminals, receives almost two-thirds of the port’s deep-sea ship traffic, and supports more than $105 billion of annual goods movement.

Co-developed with DHI SeaPort OPX, the centralized scheduling system integrates advanced digital modeling such as weather forecasts and tides to help plan and optimize commercial ship movements in high-traffic areas of the Vancouver harbour.  It is expected to help coordinate more than 5,000 movements of cargo vessels, cruise ships and tugs pulling barges every year—with up to 20 daily transits under the Lions Gate Bridge in times of peak demand.

The system will also enhance visibility of marine movements in Burrard Inlet—enabling better coordination among port users and allowing ship, terminal and rail bridge operators to foresee demand and optimize operations. This includes providing visibility over ship transits through the Second Narrows rail crossing, creating opportunities for CN to enhance rail service capacity and reliability for the North Shore trade corridor. In 2023, North Shore terminals moved about 30% of the port’s overall cargo by volume including 50% of its grain exports.

The centralized scheduling system is a key pillar of the port authority-led Active Vessel Traffic Management Program and was initially rolled out in eastern Burrard Inlet in October 2023, supporting sequencing of cargo ships, tugs and barges visiting the six marine terminals east of the Second Narrows rail bridge such as bulk exporters Pacific Coast Terminals (PCT) and Trans Mountain.

More than $105 billion of goods including bulk exports like grain and fertilizer, containerized trade, and breakbulk cargo like forestry products and construction steel moved through Burrard Inlet in 2023, while cruise ships made 332 calls to the Canada Place terminal. Almost 2,000 of the approximately 3,000 deep-sea ship visits the port receives each year move through Burrard Inlet.

The port authority is planning to expand the centralized scheduling system to the Fraser River by the end of 2025—to cover the entire Port of Vancouver.

Joravar Singh Nijjar, Vice President of Terminals, PCT said: “PCT sees the expansion of the centralized scheduling system across Burrard Inlet as a promising development for improving the coordination of marine traffic. As a terminal operator managing bulk commodities, we recognize the potential for enhanced efficiency and safety in vessel movements. We hope this initiative will contribute to more streamlined operations, benefiting both the terminals and the broader supply chain through the Port of Vancouver.”