Cargo streams follow when waters flow on the Rhine
Throughput volumes in the Swiss Rhine Ports rose by 21% in the first nine months of 2019, a significant improvement compared to the same period last year. In 2018, traffic was adversely affected by the period of low water, which slightly distorts the comparison. In 2019, water levels however gave little cause for concern. Mineral oil products and the “aggregates, clay and building materials” segment showed particularly strong growth.
Container traffic, on the other hand, did not come up to expectations. 4.73 million t of cargo were handled in the ports of Kleinhüningen, Birsfelden and Muttenz-Au in the first three quarters of 2019. In all ports, import traffic – at roughly 4 million t the more important of the two sectors – increased by 27.6.% compared to the same period of 2018, while the lower volumes of export traffic (800,000 t) again dropped by around 5%.
Container throughput in the Swiss Rhine Ports was slightly above 93,000 teu in these nine months, which amounts to a 9.5% drop compared to the same period last year. Some major shippers that moved to other modes of transport during the low water period in 2018 have not yet returned.
Import traffic (full containers) clocked in at a total of 33,000 teu, some 6% below the result of the first nine months of 2018. Since water levels have remained good – particularly in comparison to the second half of 2018 – container volumes are expected to achieve the same result as last year by the end of 2019, despite the negative factors mentioned above. (fd)