The Port of Antwerp has revealed that it is expected to have handled some 178m tonnes of freight during 2010, an increase of 13 per cent on 2009 when volumes were hit by the global economic downturn.
According to Antwerp Port Authority, the yearly increase has been driven by an improvement in the container freight segment, which passed the 100m tonne mark during 2010, while liquid bulk also proved a strong performer through the 12-month period.
Total container volumes rose 17.8 per cent to 102.8m tonnes, the group said, and grew 16.1 per cent to 8.5m TEU, although volumes remained below pre-recessionary levels recorded in 2008.
Meanwhile, the number of seagoing ships calling at Antwerp jumped by 6 per cent year-on-year, up to a total of 14,750 in 2010, with gross tonnage coming in at 288.9m tonnes, growth of 8.5 per cent.
'The figures show that Antwerp is further strengthening its position as the second-largest container port in Europe,' the Port Authority noted. 'And in liquid bulk too, Antwerp is performing very well. these two sectors, which between them make up 80 per cent of the total volume, will continue to form sources of growth for the Port of Antwerp in the future.'
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