Marseilles reaches record TEU and tonnage highs in July

Marseilles reaches record TEU and tonnage highs in July    Monthly container throughput at the Port of Marseilles-Fos reached an all-time record of 85,000 TEUs and 843,000 tons in July, according to provisional figures from the port authority.
   The volumes were up 5 percent and 12 percent, respectively, from July 2005.
   Total box traffic for January through July rose 2 percent to 560,000 TEUs, including 379,000 TEUs through Fos, the main terminal for east-west trades, which saw 8 percent growth to 57,000 TEUs in July.
   Container tonnage for the seven months improved 4 percent to 5.5 million tons and helped general cargo to a 3.6 percent increase to 9.6 million tons. The balance came from roll-on/roll-off traffic, up 1 percent to 2.3 million tons, and a 7 percent rise in conventional trades to 1.8 million tons.
   Overall cargo throughput to the end of July was 1.5 percent better at 57.2 million, including oil volumes of 36.4 million tons, a 1.7 percent rise over the same period in 2005. Crude imports finished 7 percent down for the period on 23.9 million tons following technical closures at local refineries earlier this year.