TOTAL container throughput at the Port of Antwerp decreased 4.4 per cent in the first nine months of the year compared to same period last year.

"Thanks to container handling, which has maintained the status quo and has been picking up since July, the port of Antwerp is able to limit the damage caused by the decline in the throughput of all goods flows," the port authority said.

"Compared to most other ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre range, the port is holding up very well. Despite the impact of the corona crisis on global production and logistics chains, and the following worldwide drop in demand, the Port of Antwerp is holding strong in these very difficult times."

Larger volumes have been recorded in container handling since July. In September, throughput surpassed one million TEU again for the first time since April. In the third quarter, growth occurred mainly in container traffic to the Far East and within Europe. As a result, container traffic remained almost unchanged on an annual basis, with -0.2 per cent in TEU compared to last year."

Said Port of Antwerp CEO Jacques Vandermeire: "The impact of the standstill of the global supply chain as a result of the corona crisis can still be felt. The prospect of Brexit also leads to uncertainty in the market.

"Thanks to container traffic picking up, the impact on the total throughput in Antwerp remains limited. 2020 will certainly not be a record year like the past seven years, but thanks to our resilience and container handling we are able to limit the damage."