Port of Dunkirk’s YTD traffic surpasses 2014 level

The port reported a total throughput of 23.37 million tons for the first half of 2015, up 1 percent from the same period the previous year.    The Port of Dunkirk in Northern France reported a total throughput of 23.37 million tons of traffic for the first half of 2015, an increase of 1 percent from the same period in 2014.
   The total number of containers processed fell 2 percent to 151,000 TEUs, but full containers alone were up 10 percent to 98,000 TEUs, the port said in a statement. Cross-channel traffic was up 13 percent to 7.65 million tons, while the number of trucks and trailers increased 18 percent to 330,000 freight units.
   Specific commodity volumes reported by the port included ore, which was down 12 percent to 6.06 million tons; coal, up 11 percent to 2.22 million tons; and grain, which grew 53 percent to over 2.03 million tons.
   Petroleum products and other liquid bulks were down 27 percent and 43 percent, respectively, with overall liquid bulks down 29 percent to 2.02 million tons.
   Solid bulks stood at 11.58 million tons, with small solid bulk traffic at 1.25 million tons, down 6 percent.
   Located on the North Sea, the Port of Dunkirk extends along a frontage of 17 kilometers and covers 7,000 hectares. The port has two entries for shipping, the older Eastern Port and the newer Western Port, with drafts of 14.2 meters and 22 meters, respectively.