The fall in freight is in line with the results seen at the end of the first half, a fall of 20%, suggesting things may not be getting better, but they’re not getting worse. Container traffic fell by “only” 17.4%, while dry bulk freight was down 16%.
On the other hand, automobile traffic was down 24.5%, conventional freight down 38%, and, worst of all, iron ore fell by 64%, as a result of the closure of the smelting ovens of ArcelorMittal in Liège. Steel fell 44.5%, and wood pulp and paper by 52%.
“Volumes seem to have stabilised in the past few months,” explains Bruyninckx. “In the third quarter, the amount of shipping freight has remained the same, and we suspect that this trend will continue for the remainder of the year. At the moment there are not enough signs for an economic revival in the last quarter of 2009.”
But there is good news on the horizon: “Regular calls by the very largest container carriers have been approved by the Permanent Commission for Supervision of Scheldt Navigation,” he said. “The test calls by these vessels have been judged successful, and so we can now introduce a more flexible schedule for sailing up and down river, to and from Antwerp.”
The calls by these ultra-large container carriers will be further facilitated by the deepening of the Western Scheldt: the necessary dredging work has finally been approved. “So Antwerp will be ready when the world economy picks up once more.”
Flanders Today is a 
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