The Port of Antwerp has revealed that cargo throughput fell by 3 per cent through the opening quarter of the year, bringing the situation 'back to normal' following the record figures of the first quarter in 2018, the port noted.
'As the quarter unfolded, total maritime cargo turnover again showed an upward trend,' the port authority said. 'This trend is expected to continue in the coming months, also thanks to extra MSC cargo between Antwerp and Northern Europe starting in April.'
Container traffic continued to grow, with March 2019 the strongest month ever in terms of containers, outperforming March 2018, the previous best month ever.
Container market share (in tonnes) at the Port of Antwerp rose to 27.5 per cent in 2018, or an increase by 0.7 per cent, with net growth totalling 650,000 TEU.
“Our container troughput continues to grow despite the weakened economic outlook,' said Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the port authority,. 'This is good news for Port of Antwerp and consolidates our excellent position as a container cargo hub in the global logistics chain.'
During the past three months, 3,519 seagoing vessels (-0.3 per cent) called at Antwerp.
Annnick De Ridder, alderman for the Port, added: “We can look back on a strong first quarter with continued growth in container traffic. These figures confirm the role of Port of Antwerp as one of the main economic pillars of the country and as a major employer. To secure the future prosperity of our port, we urge Flanders to proceed soon with the approval of the draft preference decision on container handling capacity.”
