Antwerp Cargo Volumes Surge

The freight volume handled by the Port of Antwerp continues to expand. After nine months the total this year stands at 167.1 million metric tons, an increase of 3.3 percent compared with the same period last year. 

Strong growth has been recorded in practically all sectors up until the end of September: containers are up by 3.7 percent in tonnage (to 91.9 million metric tons), liquid bulk such as oil derivatives is up by 2.4 percent (to 54.4 million metric tons), conventional breakbulk such as steel is up by 7.7 percent (to 7.8 million metric tons) while ro/ro completes the progression with growth of 10.7 percent (to 3.7 million metric tons). 

The only slight decline was noted in dry bulk, such as coal and ore, down by 0.8 percent after nine months.

“In the last quarter too we are managing to maintain the same high pace of expansion as in the previous nine months,” says Port Authority CEO Jacques Vandermeiren. “In fact this trend is holding steady from past years. Antwerp has been performing extremely well for quite a time now in a market that is otherwise characterised by volatility and fluctuations. If in such a situation you manage to not only maintain but also grow your market share, that gives you confidence in the future,” said Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port Authority.

The container volume expanded by 3.7 percent in tonnage during the first nine months (to 91,904,088 metric tons), or 3.2 percent in TEU. A total of 7,798,016 TEU was handled in Antwerp in the first three quarters. 4.6 percent more full containers were handled, while the number of empties fell by 4.4 percent. In regard to trading routes, Antwerp made progress in North America (up 9.5 percent) and the Far East (up 9.3 percent).