With 135 public and private ports, British Columbia is a maritime province. The main trading ports are the Port Metro Vancouver, and the Port of Prince Rupert, which account for more than 95 per cent of the international trade moving through the province’s port system. Many other ports such as Squamish, Powell River, Kitimat and Stewart also play important roles in the resource economy.

With its naturally deep harbour, year-round ice-free access and links to rail, road and other transportation systems, the Port of Vancouver handles more foreign exports than any other port in Canada, and has the highest cargo volume on the west coast of North America. China, Japan and South Korea are the main destinations for cargo loaded for export in Vancouver. The Port of Vancouver handled over 100 million tonnes of cargo (bulk, breakbulk and containers) in 2009. Prince Rupert, another naturally deep harbour, is handling a growing amount of freight headed for Asia.

Vancouver is also a common stop for cruise ship traffic headed to or from Alaska, with 900,000 cruise ship passengers embarking or disembarking in Vancouver in 2009. Victoria and Prince Rupert, together with other coastal communities, also welcome cruise ships that travel between Alaska and the rest of the US.

BC Ferries operates one of the largest ferry systems in the world. The fleet consists of 36 vessels serving 47 ports of call between the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and other coastal points. In 2009/2010 fiscal, it carried more than 21 million passengers and over 8 million vehicles.

The provincial railways are operated by VIA Rail Canada, BC Railway Company and CN Rail. Amtrak runs between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver. The SkyTrain, a light rail rapid-transit system, and West Coast Express provide commuter rail services in the Greater Vancouver area.

Local, regional and national air carriers operating throughout British Columbia provide scheduled and charter services to domestic and foreign destinations. They use a network of more than 290 land-based airports, water-based facilities and heliports.

Major domestic and international air service is provided by Air Canada and WestJet. Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Canada’s second busiest airport, is served by 69 airlines including scheduled carriers, charters, and cargo carriers. In 2009, YVR was the gateway for about 198,000 tonnes of cargo and had 258,000 runway takeoffs and landings. Vancouver International Airport enplaned and deplaned over 161 million domestic, transborder (US) and international passengers in 2009, and Victoria International Airport over 1.5 million.

Transportation services have been pivotal to the province's economic development over the years. The fact that most large cities are located near a major port or on an important trade route is no accident. Airports, port facilities, rail lines and highways have all contributed to the growth of cities. They have also led to the development of related industries that provide goods and services used by these facilities, or which depend on good access to shipping routes.

Most (79%) of the people who work in this industry are men. Transportation and warehousing is the only industry in the service sector with such a high percentage of male workers. Some of the jobs in this industry can be physically demanding, or require workers to spend long stretches of time on the road, and this might make them less appealing to some women.