Total cargo throughput of the port of Antwerp-Bruges amounted to 70.4 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 2.4 percent compared to the same period last year, with container throughput increasing and the general cargo sector showing signs of recovery.
“In an ongoing complex geopolitical and macroeconomic context, this performance, driven by a return to growth in container throughput, underscores the port’s resilience,” said the port of Antwerp-Bruges.
Container throughput picked up from February of this year, with March witnessing its best monthly throughput since March 2021. This resulted in a rise in total container throughput of 8.6 percent in tonnes and 6 percent in teu, compared to the first quarter of 2023.
Throughput volumes of conventional general cargo also showing signs of an uptick. Although throughput decreased by 7.8 percent in Q1 204 compared to the same period last year, it grew by 6.9 percent compared to the last quarter of 2023.
Ro-ro traffic, meanwhile, decreased by 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2024. Congestion at the ro-ro terminals resulted in a decrease in throughput of all transport equipment (down 9 percent). This is mainly due to lower throughput of used cars, as well as high and heavy, trucks, and new cars.
Outgoing flows of dry bulk rose by 9.7 percent but incoming flows fell by 24.4 percent, resulting in a fall of 12.1 percent in that segment. Demand for coal has fallen sharply, said the port, while lower demand from the construction sector affected throughput of sand and gravel.
