The North Sea Port that includes the port of Ghent in East Flanders and the ports of Terneuzen and Vlissingen in the Dutch province of Zeeland has seen tonnage fall by more than 11% during the first 9 months of this year compared with the first 9 months of 2022. Between 1 January and 30 September 50 million tonnes of goods were handled by North Sea Port. The fall in tonnage is not only due to the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, but also due to a fall in demand caused by people purchasing less.
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Big fall is sea freight tonnage at North Sea Port
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During the first 9 months of this year, North Sea Port (that is made up of the ports of Ghent, Terneuzen and Vlissingen) shipped a total of almost 50 million tons of goods by sea. That is 6.5 million tons less compared with the same period last year. After 3 record years, the port has now a recorded a 11.6% fall in tonnage. The greatest fall was in bulk goods such as diesel, coal, agricultural products and building materials. The number of containers at the port also declined by almost 8%.
During the first 9 months of this year 5.3 million tonnes fewer goods arrived at North Sea Port than was the case between 1 January and 30 September last year. Meanwhile, the amount of goods shipped from the port was down 8%. The impact of energy crisis and political tensions in Europe and the Middle East are felt particularly hard at North Sea Port. There is also less demand worldwide for certain goods, especially in the steel, chemical and automotive sectors.
Inland waterways shipping is holding its own
Food products and products from the metal industry are holding their own and the tonnage of goods transported from North Sea Port via inland waterways is down considerably less than is the case with sea freight. During the first 9 months of the year almost 49 million tons of goods were shipped from North Sea port via inland waterways. That is about 4% less than during the same period last year. 2022 was the best year ever for North Sea Port.