Port of Antwerp on course for new record year after strong third quarter

Antwerp, October 27, 2014 (STAT):-Collectively the container volume and the liquid bulk volume have contributed to the port of Antwerp to handle a freight volume of 148,344,168 tonnes during the first nine months of this year. That’s 3.7% more than the same period last year. If the port stays on trend it will finish this year with a new record freight volume. Last year was already an all-time record with a volume of 190.8 million tonnes.

Containers and breakbulk rose during the first nine months by 6.0% to 81,127,972 tonnes. The liquid bulk volume also expanded during the past three quarters by 3.8% to 46,163,344 tonnes. Besides, the dry bulk volume came to 10,235,255 tonnes, a decrease of 6.5% compared with the same period last year.

The number of ships calling at Antwerp during the past nine months was 10,526, a decrease of 2.3%. However the gross tonnage rose further by 1.9% to 251,604,830 GT, thus confirming the trend towards fewer but larger and more heavily laden ships coming to Antwerp.

The port of Antwerp furthermore generated direct added value of 9.9 billion Euros in 2013, according to a flash estimate by the National Bank of Belgium. This puts the port slightly below the level for 2012, down by 1.6%. The direct employment rose in 2013 by 1.0%, to 61,873 full-time equivalents.