Colley West is privileged to be the agent for the ARC  (Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia) Gloria calling the Burrard Pier in North Vancouver this week (Oct 22 to 25).

The ARC Gloria is a 76 metre long, three-masted tall ship with a steel-hulled barque. Originally acquired by the Colombian government in 1966 she is used as a training ship and is an official flagship of the Colombian Navy. She will be open to the public for free tours starting at 0830 hours from Oct 23 to 25. Come on down to explore, climb some masts and maybe even enlist. 

The Port of Vancouver handled a record 85.4 million tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2025, up 13% from last year, reflecting Canada’s pivot toward Asian trade and reduced reliance on the U.S. China remains the port’s largest partner, with shipments rising 25%, largely driven by oil, fertilizer, and grain exports, including crude from the Trans Mountain pipeline. Container traffic climbed 6% to nearly 1.9 million TEUs, though empty exports surged nearly 20% as carriers reposition boxes to Asia. Expansion plans are advancing, with procurement underway for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 and a rival fourth-berth proposal from Global Container Terminals. Despite growth, Vancouver ranked 389th in the 2024 global Container Port Performance Index, trailing most regional peers.

For further info, please see here.

In an effort to fast-track nation-building projects, the Canadian government has created the Major Projects Office (MPO) under the recently passed Building Canada Act, aimed at accelerating approvals for nation-building infrastructure projects such as ports, railways, energy corridors, critical minerals, and clean energy production. Headquartered in Calgary, the MPO will streamline regulatory reviews to a maximum of two years under a “one project, one review” model and coordinate financing with private, provincial, and federal partners.

A recent Statistics Canada study suggested that regulatory requirements in Canada increased by 2.1 per cent per year from 2006 to 2021. That 37 per cent increase correlates to with a nine per cent reduction in business sector investment.

The MPO will work to attract domestic and global capital to these major projects and help structure and co-ordinate financing from the private sector, provincial and territorial partners, and government initiatives, including the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Canada Growth Fund, and the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program.

For further information on the MPO and the first series of projects under their consideration, please see here.

Canadian canola yields are on track to set a new record in 2025, potentially surpassing the 2016 benchmark of 42.3 bushels per acre. Favourable growing conditions, including ample rainfall, cooler July weather and extended blooming have lifted yields across much of the Prairies, with many regions reporting 50–60 bu. per acre and some fields approaching 70 bu.

Provincial crop reports from Manitoba and Alberta indicate that canola yields are much higher than previous years. In southwestern Manitoba, the crop report has pegged average yield at 48 bu. per acre. Numbers are even better in central Manitoba.

There are geographic pockets with disappointing yields, such as northwestern Saskatchewan and Alberta’s Peace region, but provincial data and anecdotal reports, as of Sept. 29, shows that farmers in many areas are still achieving yields that are 15 to 25 bu. higher than 2024.

Ironically smoke from persistent forest fires this past summer is also believed to have a positive impact in these yields as the smoke can protect canola from extreme temperatures.

In September DP World Canada commenced loading operations with their $150 million canola oil transload facility at Fraser Surrey Docks. Built in partnership with Richardson International, the facility was designed to connect Prairie production directly to global shipping markets via a dedicated site in the Port of Vancouver.

The facility receives the canola oil via bulker tank rail cars that are gravity unloaded at two different rail spurs. Thirty-five cars can be unloaded at each spur. The oil is transferred to one of three storage tanks and then loaded to vessels via a pipeline.  DP World expects to receive about 10,000 tonnes of oil from each train and load on average of about 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes each vessel.

Under the partnership, DP World built the required infrastructure while Richardson committed to using two of the three 15,000 tonne storage tanks. Richardson will also have first rights on the third tank but if they don’t need it, DP World will find another crusher with which to work.

The original intention was to sell most of the oil to the United States where it would be turned into biofuel, collect the blender’s tax credit and then head back to Canada. Unfortunately the blender’s tax credit was eliminated by the US Federal government at the start of 2025 and replaced with the 45Z producer tax credit, which is not available to biofuel made with Canadian canola oil.

Canada exported 3.5 million tonnes of canola oil in 2024, with the United States accounting for 95 per cent of that. While it has not been as dominant a market this year, US demand remains strong accounting for 70 per cent of the 1.83 million tonnes shipped through the first seven months of 2025.

Canada’s other traditional market, China, has been more severely curtailed by the Chinese government’s 100 per cent tariff on canola oil. However DP World sees this as a temporary impediment that will also give them a chance to explore new buyers.

To date, four vessels have already been loaded at the facility and they are preparing to scale to one ship per week. A second project phase is also under consideration to expand into other edible oils.

On October 7, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) released its proposed fee schedule for 2026 and port calls to Vancouver, in alignment with everything else here, are about to get a little more expensive.  While several of the changes will primarily affect container ships, every vessel will be bearing the costs.

The VFPA update includes a 2.4% CPI adjustment to berthage, wharfage, and harbour dues, along with several notable changes:

• New $2,000 berthage minimum charge
• Increasing the new empty container wharfage fee from 50% to 75% of the laden fee
• Increasing wharfage on vehicles from $9.01 to $20 per unit
• Reduction in on-time performance incentive from 15% to 10% if > 90%
• Adjustments to the EcoAction incentive program criteria

In May of 2025, the VFPA implemented a revised empty container wharfage fee (a charge for using port facilities to load or unload empty containers) in spite of wide spread industry opposition. Based on the four months of recorded collections since, the B.C. Chamber of Shipping estimates that the port has generated about $6.5 million in additional revenue. The proposed rate increases are expected to bring the VFPA an additional $30 million in 2026 and approximately $40 million in 2027.

The VFPA has also elected to curtail many of the harbour dues discounts awarded to “greener” vessels. Vessels that call the port of Vancouver can qualify for reduced rates by such measures as low sulphur content fuel, a vapour control system and reduced underwater noise to name a few. Under the revised fee schedule, the VFPA will be reducing the level of discount on some while making others harder to qualify for.

The British Columbia Chamber of Shipping and the Canadian Shipping Federation filed a formal complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on August 18, 2025, pursuant to provisions under the Canada Marine Act.  They are looking for greater transparency, stakeholder consultation, and accountability in the establishment of port fees. The complaint VFPA has requested an extension and is expected to submit its response by October 31, 2025.

The full VFPA 2026 Fee Document is available here.