Antwerp throughput up 7% to 6.5 million TEUs in 2005

Antwerp throughput up 7% to 6.5 million TEUs in 2005    The port of Antwerp said it handled about 6.5 million TEUs in 2005, up nearly 7 percent on the previous year.
   In July, the port opened the first facilities in the new Deurganck tidal dock. When fully completed the terminal will feature a total 5,190 meters of 30-meter-high quay wall and an annual capacity of 5.5 million TEUs.
   The Belgian port handled about 74 million tons of containerized goods in the 12-month period, an increase of 9 percent. Total port volume, including general cargo, roll-on/roll-off shipments and bulk, amounted to a record 160 million tons, a 5 percent rise.
   Ro/ro traffic dropped 5 percent to 3.6 million tons with the number of cars, trucks and trailers handled declining 10 percent to 800,000 units.
   Dry bulk traffic dipped 3 percent to about 26 million tons. Liquid bulk rose by nearly 5 percent in 2005 to 37 million tons.
   During 2005, 15,200 ships called at the port of Antwerp, down 1 percent compared to 2004 although the average gross tonnage per vessel increased 4 percent.