A strong increase in container traffic across Europe was seen in January, according to Hackett Associates and the Bremen Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics, ifw-net reports.
The latest Global Port Tracker: North Europe Trade Outlook shows a total of almost 2 million teu imported in January, a increase on the same month last year, and 6.7% up on December 2010.
Imports over the first quarter of 2011 are on track to post a 7.3% increase over the same period last year.
While export volumes for January were, at 1.2 million teu, 7.4% down on December’s total, they were 11.5% higher than January 2009.
Meanwhile exports are anticipated to see single-digit, year-on-year increases in four of the coming six months, and month-on-month declines are projected in two.
The Global Port Tracker monitors six North European ports: Le Havre, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Bremen/Bremerhaven and Hamburg.
Le Havre was the only one of the six ports to see decreases in both imports and exports in January, due to strikes. The total plummeted by 53,000teu to 120,000teu, down 30.5% on the previous month and 27.6% year on year. However volumes are anticipated to rebound this year.
Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, said the challenges that 18,000teu ships coming onto the market present will include the logistics required for the terminals to shift the boxes in and out of the gate without ending up with congestion, and the pressure on the inland sector with railroads and inland waterways to absorb the surge in weekly volumes.
The latest Global Port Tracker: North Europe Trade Outlook shows a total of almost 2 million teu imported in January, a increase on the same month last year, and 6.7% up on December 2010.
Imports over the first quarter of 2011 are on track to post a 7.3% increase over the same period last year.
While export volumes for January were, at 1.2 million teu, 7.4% down on December’s total, they were 11.5% higher than January 2009.
Meanwhile exports are anticipated to see single-digit, year-on-year increases in four of the coming six months, and month-on-month declines are projected in two.
The Global Port Tracker monitors six North European ports: Le Havre, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Bremen/Bremerhaven and Hamburg.
Le Havre was the only one of the six ports to see decreases in both imports and exports in January, due to strikes. The total plummeted by 53,000teu to 120,000teu, down 30.5% on the previous month and 27.6% year on year. However volumes are anticipated to rebound this year.
Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, said the challenges that 18,000teu ships coming onto the market present will include the logistics required for the terminals to shift the boxes in and out of the gate without ending up with congestion, and the pressure on the inland sector with railroads and inland waterways to absorb the surge in weekly volumes.