The Antwerp Port Authority has revealed that it has made an 'excellent start' to 2011, with the Belgian port handling over 47m tonnes of freight during the first quarter of the year, up 12.7 per cent on the same period of 2010.
According to the Port Authority, total freight volumes, container volumes and liquid bulk volumes were all higher than the level reached at the same point in the record year of 2008.
Container volumes in the first quarter of the year grew 7.8 per cent to 26.2m tonnes, up from 24.3m tonnes, with volumes – in terms of standard containers, climbing 7.9 per cent to 2.2m TEU.
While volumes of conventional/breakbulk and dry bulk continued to lag, the Port Authority stated that the overall results were a clear sign Antwerp had shaken off the effects of the economic downturn.
'Both these sectors suffered heavily during the recession, but are slowly recovering,' said Port Authority CEO Eddy Bruyninckx. 'Moreover, the recovery is not simply related to the state of the economy.'
A total of 3,741 seagoing ships called at Antwerp through the opening three months of the year, 6.9 per cent higher than in 2010, with gross tonnage up 15.5 per cent to 77.2m.
