Canada lists Vancouver port expansion as national interest project to curb reliance on US market

A container-handling vehicle operates at the Global Container Terminals facility at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, on Oct. 30, 2026. The Canadian federal government on Friday announced that it has officially listed the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project at the Port of Vancouver, Canada's largest port, as a project of national interest to strengthen trade infrastructure and reduce reliance on the U.S. market. (Photo: Liang Sen/Xinhua)

OTTAWA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian federal government on Friday announced that it has officially listed the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project at the Port of Vancouver, Canada's largest port, as a project of national interest to strengthen trade infrastructure and reduce reliance on the U.S. market.

The move is part of Canada's broader strategy to double its exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035, according to Transport Canada.

With a planned investment of 5.9 billion Canadian dollars (about 4.2 billion U.S. dollars), the project is expected to increase the container capacity at the Port of Vancouver by approximately 50 percent. It will add 2.4 million containers of annual processing capacity and support up to 100 billion Canadian dollars (71.55 billion dollars) in annual trade.

Transport Canada said that the listing decision provides regulatory certainty, accelerating the project's commercial operations to 2035, up to four years ahead of schedule. The project is currently on a viable path to reach a Final Investment Decision by mid-2027.