Liquid bulk once again produced good growth figures, helping to push the overall volume higher.
Liquid bulk
The volume of liquid bulk handled during the past three quarters rose by 32.0% to 44,472,343 tonnes. Oil derivatives stood at 32,211,312 tonnes by the end of September, representing growth of 36.7%. Chemicals (up 9.2% to 8,467,896 tonnes) and crude oil (up 71.4% to 3,481,679 tonnes) completed the impressive series of results in the liquid bulk segment.
Dry bulk
The dry bulk volume by contrast was down by 25.6% to 10,941,785 tonnes, due mainly to reduced coal imports. 57.4% less coal was handled in the period from January to September. The main reason for this decrease lay in the rail freight rates to the German hinterland, making the rates offered in Antwerp less competitive than in some neighbouring ports.
The Port Authority in collaboration with a number of private-sector players is making strenuous efforts to close this gap.
Containers and breakbulk
The container segment showed a slight decline, both in tonnage and in TEU (standard containers: twenty-foot equivalent units). The number of containers fell slightly by 1.7%, ending at 6,404,791 TEU. In terms of tonnage the volume was down by 2.8%, with 76,508,857 tonnes being handled in the first nine months.
The ro/ro volume was also down, decreasing by 5.3% to 3,406,385 tonnes. On the other hand the number of cars handled was up by 5.5%, to 969,105. During the past nine months 26.2% more cars were imported than in the same period last year. Conventional breakbulk also declined, down 6.0% in the first three quarters to 7,685,856 tonnes. Apart from steel, which showed a dip of 9.1% to tonnes, the other breakbulk categories remained fairly stable in volume.