Antwerp Box traffic falls 18.4 percent in Jan-Sept
Container traffic in Antwerp fell 18.4 percent in the first nine months of the year from the same period in 2008, a significantly faster rate of decline than at its close rival Rotterdam.
The Belgian port handled 5.4 million 20-foot equivalent units from January through September, maintaining its ranking as Europe’s third largest box hub, but falling further behind Rotterdam, where container traffic fell by 13 percent in the same period to 7.2 million TEUs.
Overall cargo declined 19.1 percent to 116.8 million metric tons from just over 144 million metric tons in the first nine months of 2008. This compares with an 11.9 percent drop in Rotterdam to 283 million metric tons.
"Volumes seem to have stabilized in the past few months," said port chief executive Eddy Bruyninckx.
"In the third quarter the amount of shipping freight has remained the same and we suspect that this trend will continue for the remainder of the year," he said. "At the moment there are not enough signs for an economic revival in the last quarter of 2009."
Bulk cargo fell 16.2 percent to 42 million metric tons led by a 38.7 percent slump in dry bulk shipments to 12.8 million metric tons. Iron ore traffic shrunk by 64 percent due mainly to the closure of ArcelorMittal blast furnace in nearby Liege. Coal traffic contracted by 35 percent, and fertilizer fell 38 percent.
Liquid bulk was stable at 29.2 million metric tons.
Conventional and break bulk volume fell by almost 38 percent to 7.9 million metric tons as steel shipments were down 44.5 percent and wood pulp and paper traffic slumped by over 52 percent.
Roll-on, roll-off traffic was 30 percent lower at 2.4 million metric tons; auto exports and imports fell 24.5 percent to 546,479 units.
Despite the steep declines in most cargo sectors, the port is getting ready for economic revival, Bruyninckx said.
Regular calls by the largest containerships of 14,000 TEUs have been approved by the authority that supervises navigation on the river Scheldt which connects Antwerp to the open sea.
Following successful test calls by 14,000 TEUs ships "we can now introduce a more flexible schedule for sailing up and down river, to and from Antwerp," Bruyninckx said.
Calls by the largest container vessels will also be easier following the decision of the Dutch government to start to dredge and deepen the section of the Scheldt river that passes through the Netherlands "so that Antwerp will be ready when the world economy picks up once more."
The Belgian port handled 5.4 million 20-foot equivalent units from January through September, maintaining its ranking as Europe’s third largest box hub, but falling further behind Rotterdam, where container traffic fell by 13 percent in the same period to 7.2 million TEUs.
Overall cargo declined 19.1 percent to 116.8 million metric tons from just over 144 million metric tons in the first nine months of 2008. This compares with an 11.9 percent drop in Rotterdam to 283 million metric tons.
"Volumes seem to have stabilized in the past few months," said port chief executive Eddy Bruyninckx.
"In the third quarter the amount of shipping freight has remained the same and we suspect that this trend will continue for the remainder of the year," he said. "At the moment there are not enough signs for an economic revival in the last quarter of 2009."
Bulk cargo fell 16.2 percent to 42 million metric tons led by a 38.7 percent slump in dry bulk shipments to 12.8 million metric tons. Iron ore traffic shrunk by 64 percent due mainly to the closure of ArcelorMittal blast furnace in nearby Liege. Coal traffic contracted by 35 percent, and fertilizer fell 38 percent.
Liquid bulk was stable at 29.2 million metric tons.
Conventional and break bulk volume fell by almost 38 percent to 7.9 million metric tons as steel shipments were down 44.5 percent and wood pulp and paper traffic slumped by over 52 percent.
Roll-on, roll-off traffic was 30 percent lower at 2.4 million metric tons; auto exports and imports fell 24.5 percent to 546,479 units.
Despite the steep declines in most cargo sectors, the port is getting ready for economic revival, Bruyninckx said.
Regular calls by the largest containerships of 14,000 TEUs have been approved by the authority that supervises navigation on the river Scheldt which connects Antwerp to the open sea.
Following successful test calls by 14,000 TEUs ships "we can now introduce a more flexible schedule for sailing up and down river, to and from Antwerp," Bruyninckx said.
Calls by the largest container vessels will also be easier following the decision of the Dutch government to start to dredge and deepen the section of the Scheldt river that passes through the Netherlands "so that Antwerp will be ready when the world economy picks up once more."