During the first quarter of 2015 the port of Antwerp has handled[ds_preview] a freight volume of 51,023,670t (+5.9%). Container volumes expanded by 8.5% to 28,216,101t (2,351,299 TEU, +9.5%). Ro/ro volumes contracted by 8.7% to 1,081,344t, with the number of cars handled falling by 6.9%.
The conventional freight volume also shrank, by 3.5%, with 2,322,921t being handled. The dip in the breakbulk segment is due among other things to a decline in the amount of fruit handled (down 37.7% to 173,321t), the port stated. Liquid bulk handled rose by 4.7% to 15,801,788t. Petroleum derivatives amounted to 11,931,034t (+8.0%). Chemicals (down 3.0% to 2,650,778t) and crude oil (down 7.0% to 1,135,059 t) contracted during the first quarter. The dry bulk volume clocked up at 3,601,516t, (+3.6%). Coal increased by 24.6% to 373,829 t. During the past three months the number of seagoing ships calling at Antwerp was 3,408 or 1% fewer than in the same period last year. The aggregate gross tonnage rose by 4.2% to 83,804,319 GT.
