Port of Antwerp’s tonnage increases from container growth

The Belgian port experienced the best month on record for containers in March.    The Port of Antwerp experienced the best month on record for containers in March.
   The Belgian port handled 54.3 million metric tons of freight during the first quarter of 2017, a 1.5 percent year-over-year increase. The port pointed to container freight as the source of the growth, which was up 2 percent year-over-year in terms of tonnage to 29.8 million metric tons. Container volumes for the quarter rose 0.7 percent year-over-year to 2.48 million TEUs.
   “The Port Authority is very satisfied with these growth figures,” Port of Antwerp CEO Jacques Vermeiren said. “Since the first half of last year experienced better performance than the second half, it is important to see the volumes continuing to steadily increase in the container segment. This positive trend confirms the demand for additional container capacity in the Antwerp port area.”
   The roll-on/roll off (ro-ro) sector experienced a 5.3 percent year-over-year increase in the first quarter, finishing out at 1.2 million metric tons. The number of cars handled rose 2.8 percent year-over-year to 316,988 units.
   Breakbulk volumes for the quarter jumped 8.3 percent year-over-year thanks to the influx of steel, which in itself was up 14.7 percent. “Protectionist measures have not resulted in lower volumes, only a shift in the steel trade from one port to another,” the port said.
   Dry bulk increased 6.7 percent from the first quarter of 2016 to 3.2 million metric tons, driven by higher imports of ore and coal.
   Liquid bulk, however, slipped 1.2 percent year-over-year to 17.6 million metric tons, resulting from decreased imports, particularly oil derivatives.
   A total of 3,505 seagoing ships called the port during the first quarter, a drop of 0.8 percent from the corresponding 2016 period. However, the gross tonnage of all 3,505 vessels rose by 3.3 percent year-over-year to 99.7 million gross tons.