Antwerp's strong figures in March
In the first three months of this year, 59.1 million t of goods were handled in the port of Antwerp (Belgium). In other words, total throughput in the first quarter of 2020 rose by 4% compared to the same period in 2019.
With a growth of 9.5% in teu to 3.02 million teu and by 9.4% in tonnage to 35.9 million t, container traffic remains by far the most important freight segment in the port of Antwerp. With the exception of a slight decline in traffic from the Far East (-2.2%), all trading areas recorded comparably strong growth.
Yet, global trade disputes had a negative impact on the flow of goods in the break bulk area, reducing throughput by 27.8% to 1.74 million t. Total ro-ro volumes fell by 20.3% to 1.07 million t in the period from January to March.
The effects of the Covid 19 crisis will be felt by the Belgian port in the second quarter due to a foreseeable decline in ship calls, the shutdown of important industrial sectors in Western Europe, e.g. in the automotive industry, as well as due to changing consumer habits. (mw)