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Antwerp 2009 Box Throughput Fell 15.6 Percent (22-01-2010)
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The container volume handled by the Port of Antwerp in 2009 fell by 15.6 percent to 7,309,639 million 20-foot units, mirroring the decline in box volumes at all northern European ports. In tonnage terms, total container volume dropped 16.7 percent to 157,806,429 metric tons, compared to nearly 190 million metric tons in 2008, the port said Thursday.
Containerized imports declined by 22.3 percent to 81,600,769 metric tons, and exports by 9.7 percent to 76,205,660 metric tons.
The volume of tonnage carried loaded on and off roll-on, roll-off ships dropped by 27.6 percent to 3.2 million metric tons. Last year 238,041 cars were imported and 532,278 exported, with the total amount contracting by around 20 percent to 770,319 vehicles.
Conventional and breakbulk cargo was down by 38.3 percent to 10,449,980 metric tons, mainly due to the sharp decreases in the volumes of steel products (down 44.7 percent) and wood cellulose and paper (down 48.1 percent), to 5,791,936 and 1,239,878 metric tons respectively. The volumes of fertilizers, chemicals, wood, fruit, flour, sugar and granite also declined.
The volume of bulk freight was down by 14.6 percent overall, to 56,905,481 million metric tons, with most of the decrease attributable to the lower amount of dry bulk, which fell by 36 percent to 17,383,826 metric tons. Particularly large decreases were suffered by ores (down 64.7 percent), coal (down 37.9 percent) and fertilizers (down 20.8 percent).
By contrast there was a slight increase in the volume of liquid bulk, which was up 0.5 percent to 39,521,655 metric tons. The important category of oil derivatives was up 3.6 percent to 25,842,830 metric tons.
The number of seagoing ships calling at the port was down by 15.1 percent, to 13,921.
Source: Journal of Commerce
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