I preface my comments by saying that the strike impacted each of our members differently, depending on their import exposure from Asia.
Last year, there were approximately 334,000 vehicles imported into the port, down 6% from 2021 and down 22% from 2018. The global automotive industry was severely impacted by a number of different supply chain disruptions, from which it has still not fully recovered. Imports from our Korean member companies were responsible for 45% of all vehicles imported through the port, with Japanese manufacturers representing another 45% of vehicle imports through the port.
Overall, vehicles and vehicle parts represented about 6.8% of all inbound cargo through the port of Vancouver. With that said, I want to highlight the impacts on some of our members.
One of our members reported the following. The strike added 60 days to already protracted delivery times to their dealers. The diversion of vessels to U.S. ports added approximately $700 per vehicle. The flip-flop of the union, with respect to the strike being over and then not, was another added disruption that called into question the effectiveness of the mediation program.
Another member reported that due to the longer dwell times at Vancouver, ships were diverted to U.S. ports to unload cargo there first, before returning to Vancouver. The dwell times at Vancouver were significantly higher than at other ports, even before the strike, with anchor times, in some cases, being longer than the time for the ship to travel from the home port to the port of Vancouver. Anchor times in other ports are typically one to two days as opposed to, in some cases, one to two weeks or more at the port of Vancouver.
The impact on member companies was also a bit of the luck of the draw with respect to when ships arrived at the port. Some were fortunate to have vessels docking either side of the strike, while others were caught up in the middle of it.
That said, it has become evident, throughout the strike and the aftermath, that we have a series of challenges, not only at the Port of Montreal but also elsewhere, that need to be collectively addressed. These are as follows.
The fires and atmospheric rivers of recent years have underscored the need for infrastructure resilience to climate change. Having an alternate port on the west coast that is capable of handling vehicle off-loading would provide an option to assist in instances of stoppages caused by natural disasters, or for other reasons.
The port infrastructure needs to be right-sized and optimized for increased volumes of electric vehicles from Asia, in particular China, as imports have grown from 190 vehicles in 2020 to 7,916 vehicles in 2022, which is over a 4,000% increase. With Canada's pending zero-emission vehicle targets, these imports will only rise until additional North American capacity for both electric vehicles and their constituent parts and components come online.
The port of Vancouver infrastructure must also include the installation of EV chargers to accommodate the off-loading and distribution of EVs. We are aware that efforts in this regard are under way.
The port infrastructure is only as good as the rail and trucking services that support the distribution of imported products across the country. There is currently a major shortage of railcars to service the automotive industry. The port strike exacerbated this situation, resulting in many weeks passing before full recovery from the strike occurred.
There is a growing perception that Canadian ports, and transportation infrastructure in general, lack predictability, reliability, consistency and efficiency, which is detrimental to a small, trade-reliant nation and has some shippers looking to consider supplying the Canadian market through U.S. ports, owing to the loss of confidence in Canadian ports.
While negotiated settlements are always the best solution, when parties are entrenched in their positions, the Canadian economy must not be held hostage until a negotiated settlement is reached. Since the port of Vancouver strike, we have witnessed the October shutdown of the St. Lawrence Seaway due to a strike, and based on actions taken by both sides to date, it would seem that a strike at the Port of Montreal may well be imminent when the current collective agreement expires on December 31 of this year.
Canada can ill afford the economic and reputational hits, combined with other highly visible and costly border incidents like the illegal blockade at the Ambassador Bridge and other key border crossings in February 2022.
In closing, for these reasons, we very much appreciate the Minister of Labour's October 19 announcement on initiating a review under section 106 of the Canada Labour Code to look at the structural issues that have given rise to the labour dispute at the port of Vancouver and elsewhere, and we will look forward to seeing the terms of reference for the review that the minister has committed to by December 31 of this year.
We are also hopeful that the appointment of Mr. Robert Dick to head up the supply chain office at Transport Canada will lead to not only issue and problem identification but also a clear and actionable road map for improvement. Canadian businesses and the consumers who rely on them deserve no less.
Thank you very much.