Port of Antwerp posts 5.5% growth in freight volumes

The port’s container freight and liquid bulk volumes rose in the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, but breakbulk volumes dropped due to increasing containerization of fruit and a decline in conventional handling.    The Port of Antwerp handled 156.5 million tons of freight in the first nine months of 2015, an increase of 5.5 percent from the same period in 2014.
   The port said it is currently poised to close the year with a total volume of 200 million tons as a result of growth in container freight and liquid bulk volumes.
   A total of 7.3 million TEUs and 85.5 million tons of container freight was handled at the Port of Antwerp during the first nine months of 2015, year-over-year increases of 8 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively.
   The port is equipped to handle ultra large container ships and features six dedicated container terminals.
   Liquid bulk volumes rose 7.9 percent in comparison to the first nine months of last year to 49.8 million tons, with chemicals having posted the strongest growth in the liquid bulk sector.
   In addition to container cargo and liquid bulk, the Port of Antwerp also handles roll-on/roll-off cargo, breakbulk and dry bulk.
   The port handled 3.5 million tons of roll-on/roll-off cargo in the first nine months of 2015, a year-over-year increase of 2.5 percent. The number of cars handled, however, dropped 9.7 percent to 825,312 vehicles.
   Iron and steel volumes, which stood at 5 million tons, rose 2.4 percent from the first nine months of 2014.
   The Port of Antwerp handled 7.3 million tons of conventional breakbulk during the first nine months of 2015, a year-over-year drop of 1.8 percent. The port attributed the breakbulk segment’s decline to the increasing containerization of fruit and the consequent drop in conventional handling.
   Dry bulk volumes at the port rose 2.4 percent to 10,481,166 tons. Sand and gravel also posted strong growth, while coal volumes made progress after a weak second quarter, according to the port authority.
   Overall, 10,786 seagoing ships called the Port of Antwerp throughout the first nine months of 2015, up 2.5 percent from the same period in 2014. Gross tonnage rose 7.7 percent to 271 million gross tons.