Eurogate sees first half container volume fall 10pc

EUROPEAN terminal operator Eurogate has suffered a 10.1 per cent decrease in first half container volume year on year because of the downturn.

Eurogate said the total container throughput handled by the German ports of Bremerhaven and Hamburg amounted to 3.3 million TEU, down 19.5 per cent against the first half last year, reports London's International Freighting Weekly.

Individually, Bremerhaven's first half throughput was down 20.8 per cent while Hamburg's throughput fell by 17.1 per cent year on year.

By comparison, container terminals operated by Contship Italia collectively experienced a smaller decrease of 2.9 per cent in first half box handling volumes amounting to 2.7 million TEU. The more stable performance was attributed to a "positive handling trend" at the CICT terminal in Cagliari in particular, the report said.

In other news, the development of the first phase of the Ust Luga Container Terminal on Russia's Baltic coast, in which Eurogate is a partner with National Container Company (NCC) and First Quantum Group, has been shelved for the time being, after NCC part-owner Fesco said a "lack of investment capital" meant it could not continue to fund its share of the project.
(Source: www.schednet.com)