New Transportation research report from Business Monitor International is now available from Fast Market Research

Boston, MA -- (SBWire) -- 06/17/2013 --BMI maintains its broadly optimistic outlook for the Canadian port sector, but we remain concerned about import and export volumes. A slowdown in private consumption should lead to weaker import growth in 2013. Meanwhile, a renewed US recession would severely dampen Canadian exports and we could easily see the contribution from net exports turn negative in the next year or two.

We have downgraded our Canadian GDP growth forecast for 2013 to 2.1% from 2.3%. While most of our individual forecasts of GDP by expenditure category remain the same, we have downgraded our real export growth projection to 5.0% from 5.7%, due to the fact that the strong Canadian dollar is hurting the export sector, while the external climate (with weakness in the crucial US export market) is beginning to hurt foreign trade. This accounts almost entirely for the decline in our overall GDP projection.

Headline Industry Data

- 2013 Port of Vancouver tonnage throughput forecast to grow 1.4%. Over the medium term we project average annual growth of 2.4% to reach 139.6mn tonnes in 2017.
- 2013 Port of Vancouver container throughput forecast to grow 8.0%. Over the medium term we project annual average growth of 6.8%, to reach 3.8mn twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2017.

View Full Report Details and Table of Contents

Key Industry Trends

Port Metro Vancouver Shows Slow Growth

Canada's largest port has released its 2012 year-end results, which show a continuation of the trend of slight annual growth. The 2012 year-end statistics report shows that Port Metro Vancouver handled 124mn tonnes of cargo through the end of December, an increase of 1% over 2011.

Canada Seeks to Supply Asia With Shale Gas

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal being built north of Vancouver, financed by a Houston private equity firm, is allowing Canada to target Asia's US$150bn LNG market. It is scheduled to begin shipping the fuel across the Pacific Ocean in mid-2015, eight months before the first continental US plant is slated to start.

Teekay Stocks Buoyant Due To Offshore And LNG Exposure

Teekay Corp has seen a gain of 27.3% over the past year. The company also just made an earnings statement, announcing a profit of US$2.9mn in Q412, though 2012 saw a net loss of US$54.9mn (compared with a net loss of US$103.21mn in 2011).

Risks To Outlook

The biggest risk by far is the potential for a eurozone breakup, which would threaten the Canadian economy across the board, from business confidence to trade and financial markets.

The triggering of the US 'fiscal cliff' in early 2013 would lead Canada's biggest trading partner into a major recession, and would likely drag the Canadian economy down with it.

About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff will help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget. For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

Browse all Transportation research reports at Fast Market Research

You may also be interested in these related reports:

- Australia Shipping Report Q3 2013
- Malaysia Shipping Report Q3 2013
- Argentina Shipping Report Q3 2013
- Indonesia Shipping Report Q2 2013
- China Shipping Report Q2 2013
- Greece Shipping Report Q2 2013
- Vietnam Shipping Report Q3 2013
- Philippines Shipping Report Q2 2013
- Thailand Shipping Report Q2 2013
- Pakistan Shipping Report Q2 2013