Trading with the world
To fulfill its vital mission to sustainably connect communities, the Port of Montreal draws on an extensive network of multimodal connections. It is connected to more than 140 countries through six of the world’s largest shipping lines, including COSCO, CMA-CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, MSC and OOCL, and to all of North America through its direct links with a vast highway and rail network stretching into the U.S. Midwest. Its facilities include five container terminals, two cruise terminals, 12 dry bulk berths, six liquid bulk terminals, a grain terminal and a grain containerization terminal.
Stable balance of trade
The Port of Montreal remains primarily a destination port, where ships are fully unloaded and reloaded before departing. As such, it maintained a balance of trade between imports and exports. In 2023, cargo volumes handled at the Port of Montreal were 51% import and 49% export.
Internationally, Northern Europe remained the Port of Montreal’s main container market, accounting for 33% of containerized trade. Asia accounted for 27% of our trade, the Mediterranean 22%, the Middle East 7%, Latin America 5%, Africa and Oceania 5%.
Among the best international performances of the year, the most dynamic markets in 2023 were Asia (include a 4% increase in imports), whose volumes returned to 2019 levels with an average of 300,000 tonnes per month during the second half of the year. Notably, trade with China rose 60% over last year. Exports to the Mediterranean market were up 5%, with 1.41 million tonnes exported in 2023, mainly containerized grain, lentils, soybeans and forest products.
On the domestic market, Quebec accounted for 53% of trade, Ontario 28%, the rest of Canada 10% and the Midwest 9%. Exports from Ontario and the Midwest rose by 4% and 6% respectively.
Modal split
Operational performance
The Port of Montreal closely monitors the operational performance of its port facilities. Container dwell time, vessel punctuality and truck processing time are among the key indicators that are checked weekly all year long.
Vessels
Trucking
Dwell time
Trains
Partnerships
Collaboration between the ports of Montreal, Quebec City and Trois-Rivières
Vietnam
HAROPA
Eastern Pact
Innovation
The Port of Montreal continued its efforts to develop new technological tools to improve the energy and logistical efficiency of its operations. Projects for 2023 included:
A cargo identification tool
A challenger to improve water quality
Measuring the carbon footprint of vessels
7th edition of the Smart Port Challenge