Ports, Automation and the Future of Dock Work

The debate around automation and artificial intelligence in ports is becoming increasingly global.

Last week, around 100 dockworker union delegates from Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand gathered outside DP World’s Centerm container terminal at the Port of Vancouver as part of an international campaign focused on the impact of automation and AI on port jobs.

The rally followed an international summit in Vancouver, where representatives from several maritime unions agreed on a shared position: technology that improves safety and efficiency is supported, but changes that reduce jobs, weaken working conditions or bypass collective bargaining are being challenged.

A debate that extends beyond Vancouver

The issue is particularly relevant as ports around the world continue to invest in automation, digital systems and remotely operated equipment.

At Vancouver’s Centerm terminal, a major modernisation programme has increased annual capacity from around 900,000 TEU to 1.5 million TEU. The terminal now includes automated and electric equipment, as well as expanded rail infrastructure.

DP World and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association have pointed to the investment as an example of how technology and infrastructure can increase capacity and improve efficiency. A recent KPMG report found that waterfront payroll hours at Centerm also increased between 2019 and 2025.

Unions, however, argue that the introduction of new technology needs to be negotiated with workers and that the benefits of automation should be shared with the workforce and wider port communities.

What does this mean for ports?

The discussion is unlikely to disappear.

Ports are under constant pressure to handle more cargo, improve safety, reduce emissions and remain competitive. Automation and AI can play a role in achieving those goals, but how that technology is introduced, and how it affects the people working in and around ports, remains an important part of the conversation.

With the current British Columbia longshore agreement due to expire in March 2027, automation is expected to be an important issue in upcoming negotiations.

And with dockworker unions from Australia and New Zealand involved in the international campaign, it is a debate worth watching well beyond Vancouver.