The Port of Antwerp-Bruges says the container throughput is picking up again despite ongoing challenges and uncertainties in the market.
The total cargo throughput of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges amounted to 70.4 million tonnes in the first quarter of this year, a rise of 2.4% compared to the same period last year, the port said.
After economic uncertainty and inflation led to a global slowdown in demand for container shipping in 2023, container throughput picked up again from February, with March even witnessing the best monthly throughput since March 2021.
This resulted in a rise in total container throughput of 8.6% in tonnes and 6% in TEU (3,287,000 TEU), compared to the first quarter of 2023. Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ market share in container handling in the Hamburg – Le Havre Range grew by 0.3 percentage points in 2023, to 29.9%.
Throughput volumes of conventional general cargo also showed an upward trend again. Although throughput decreased by 7.8% compared to the same period last year, it grew by 6.9% compared to the last quarter of 2023. The throughput of iron and steel remained unchanged, with incoming flows growing (+1.4%) and outgoing flows falling (-3.8%). Most other goods recorded a decline compared to the first quarter of 2023, the port data shows.
Roll-on/roll-off traffic decreased by 6.9% in the first quarter of 2024. The ongoing congestion at RoRo terminals resulted in a decrease in throughput of all transport equipment (-9%). This is mainly due to lower throughput of used cars (-52.5%), as well as high & heavy (-25%), trucks (-23.9%) and new cars (-5.5%). The throughput of unaccompanied cargo (excluding containers) carried on RoRo vessels grew by 1.7%. The decline in throughput to and from the United Kingdom (-4.4%) was offset by an increase in throughput to and from Spain and Portugal (+31.5%), Ireland (+6.4%) and Scandinavia (+13.5%).
“The fact that, as a world port, we are caught up in continuing challenges was once again highlighted in the last quarter. The Red Sea unrest obliged container shipping companies, for security reasons, to divert their routes via the Cape of Good Hope on East-West routes, resulting in disruptions to logistics chains and irregular arrivals of container ships. This meant that all parties involved had to adapt, but diverted routes soon became the ‘new normal’. The fact that we can once again achieve growth despite everything proves our resilience in unpredictable times,” Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said.
“The rise in our quarterly figures – with March even witnessing the best container throughput in three years – proves that we are a resilient world port. A port that also continues to innovate and invest despite a challenging context. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is clearly an ambitious, pioneering port. As the economic engine of Flanders, we and our companies are 100% focused on sustainable growth. During the most recent quarter, this was demonstrated, among other things, by the first methanol bunkering of a sea-going vessel, setting a new record with the largest container volume handled on a single vessel, and the announcement of new initiatives at our innovation hub NextGen Demo,” Annick De Ridder, Chair of the Board of Directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, added.
While outgoing flows of dry bulk rose by 9. 7%, incoming flows fell by 24.4%, resulting in a fall of 12.1% in the dry bulk segment. The port said the fall was due to the abated energy crisis which caused the demand for coal to fall sharply (-68.6%). Throughput of fertilizers, the largest product category within dry bulk, has recovered since the last quarter of 2023 (+33.9%), especially in imports. Throughput of non-ferrous ores (+47.3%), and scrap metal (+5.7%) also grew. Lower demand from the construction sector affected the throughput of sand and gravel (-12.5%) and cereals are increasingly being transported in containers rather than in bulk (-43.7%).
The throughput of liquid bulk held up relatively well, recording a slight decline of 0.9%, with outgoing flows increasing by 4.2% but incoming flows falling by 4.1%. There was growth in the throughput of fuel oil (+25.2%), gasoline (+12.1%), and LNG (+10%). Despite the competitive pressure on the European chemical industry due to the high cost of energy, raw materials and labour, throughput of chemicals and naphtha rose by 5.2% and 12% respectively, thanks to a recovery in demand. Throughput of diesel recorded a drop (-40%), as did throughput of LPG (-11.5%) and liquid fuels in total (-11.4%).
In the first quarter of 2024, 4,855 sea-going vessels called at the port, a decrease by 1.8%. The gross tonnage of these vessels fell by 2.4%.
In January 2024, the port received the first containership, MSC Aurora,with a draft of 16 meters, paving the way for Antwerp to be the first port of call for the largest ships. In addition, a new record for the largest container volume handled on a single ship was set in March on the MSC China, with 26,201 TEUs.
The first methanol bunkering of a sea-going vessel was another milestone in Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ ambition to become a multifuel port and accelerate the energy transition in the maritime sector.
Read more: Port of Antwerp: The demand for green methanol is just starting
Two more companies to test new technologies in Port of Antwerp-Bruges
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