Marseilles-Fos posts 12% cargo growth in first quarter

France's Marseilles-Fos port handled 24.3 million tons in the first three months of this year, a 12 percent year-on-year rise driven by increased container and oil volumes.

Container tonnage in the quarter was up 13 percent at 2.6 million tons, and 15 percent in unit terms at 260,484 TEUs. East/west traffic via Fos logged a 19 percent rise to 186,911 TEUs, while the Marseilles eastern harbor gained 7 percent to 73,573 TEUs.

Oil volume during the quarter gained 18 percent to 15.9 million tons, although last year's comparable volume was hampered by a 17-day industrial dispute in March 2007.

Dry bulk volume in the quarter was down 1.4 percent at 3.24 million tons with liquid bulks stable at 770,000 tons. 

Source: American Shipper