After several weeks of disruption caused by strikes in the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, port authorities state that the backlog of vessels has been cleared, and operations are returning to normal in the region.

US Shipping news site, the Journal of Commerce (JOC), cited officials from the Port of Vancouver as saying, “Steady progress continues to be made since July 13, when ship, rail and trucking operations resumed.” In fact, compared to last year, the volume of containers moved at the port at this time is reportedly higher.

However, analysts at JOC claim that the increased volume is the result of the build-up that occurred during the strikes. Vancouver Port revealed that container volumes handled since the beginning of this year up to July dropped nearly 17% compared to last year. Volumes covering the same period dropped 27% year-on-year at Prince Rupert.

Vancouver Port data from 18 August show that only three vessels were dwelling outside the port, while the majority of container vessels were serviced at berth. Statistics provided by the port illustrate how dwell times throughout the disruption period peaked in July and eventually returned to normal in mid-August. 

At Prince Rupert, the 7-day average waiting time dropped from a high of 3.9 days on 21 July to 0.9 days on 21 August, indicating that operations at the port returned to normal.

“All backlog from the labour disruption has been cleared, and the terminal is fluid,” a port spokesperson told JOC on 16 August. “There are currently no vessels waiting at anchor, and vessels are being worked as they arrive. Dwell times continue to improve at the current production rate,” he added.

Earlier this month, a labour agreement was reached between Canadian West Coast dockworkers and the employers' association after a series of attempts to reach a deal that lasted over two weeks.