Marseille Fos container volumes jump 3% in first half 2016

Total cargo throughput at the largest French port fell 3 percent to 39.13 million metric tons in the first six months of 2016 as general cargo volumes remained relatively flat and bulk volumes fell compared with the same 2015 period.    First half 2016 container volumes at Marseilles Fos jumped 3 percent in to 623,137 TEUs compared with the first six months of 2015, the port said in a statement.
   The largest French port saw total cargo throughput slip 3 percent to 39.13 million metric tons during the first half as general cargo volumes remained relatively flat and bulk volumes fell compared with the same 2015 period.
   General cargo volumes ticked up 1 percent to 9.2 million metric tons compared with first half 2015, including 6 million metric tons from containers. Roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) traffic increased 7 percent to 2 million metric tons, but was offset by a 6 percent decline in conventional commodities trades, primarily steel.
   Liquid bulk volumes slid 3 percent year-over-year to 23.4 million metric tons due to a national strike action over labor laws in March and April. Oil & gas volumes fell 2 percent to 21.9 million metric tons, with crude imports down 6 percent to 12.7 million metric tons, refined products down 2 percent to 5.6 million metric tons and LPG down 13 percent to 1 million metric tons, while liquid chemicals and agro-products dropped 16 percent to 1.5 million metric tons.
   Throughput of liquefied natural gas (LNG), on the other hand, soared 31 percent to 2.6 million metric tons during the same period thanks to rising European demand.
   Marseille Fos saw dry bulk volumes slump 10 percent to 6.6 million metric tons, primarily due to a Europe-wide crisis in the steel industry, as well as the conversion of energy company Uniper’s coal-fired Gardanne power station to biomass fuel. Other bulks like peat and fertilizer fell 14 percent year-over-year to 1.6 million metric tons, but agro-bulks held steady at 0.45 million metric tons thanks to a surge in wheat imports.