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2013 TRAFFIC: 43,6 MT
21st january 2014

The total volume in 2013, all types of traffic taken together, was 43.6 MT, down 8.5% compared with the previous year.

However, we must stress the record impact of containers which showed a total increase of 12% over 2012.

This difference is mainly due to the consequences of the shutdown of the E.oN power plant at Kingsnorth (UK) which affected coal traffic, as well as to the impact of the temporary presence of a 4th ship at Dunkirk in early 2012 on the DFDS cross-Channel line.

If we analyse the traffic excluding the impact of E.oN and RoRo activity, it shows a rise of 2% on a comparable basis.

     • GENERAL CARGOES: RORO OVER THE YEAR IN LINE WITH EXPECTATIONS AND RECORD PERFORMANCE FOR CONTAINERS

Cross-Channel RoRo figures are compared with 2012 which had been reinforced by a fourth ship, the Norman Spirit, over the period 1 January to mid-February 2012 following the strikers’ blockade of the Port of Calais.

With the service back to its normal configuration of three ships, traffic was logically down (tonnage -6% to 12.3 MT) but remained in line with expectations.

The number of freight units was nevertheless satisfactory with a total of 540,000 units (500,000 trucks and trailers).

The number of passengers fell by 8% to more than 2.3 million passengers and drivers. 

Containers totalled 292,000 TEU to the end of December, an increase of 12%. Full containers showed a rise of 13% to 165,000 TEU.

Conventional cargoes (steel, tubes, bagged sugar, heavy lifts) were stable at 900 KT.

    • BULK SOLIDS: TRAFFIC AFFECTED BY E.oN CLOSURE

After a difficult start to the year, marked by the gradual resumption of operations at ArcelorMittal’s Blast Furnace 2 and a high stock level, ore recovered in the second half of the year. The traffic volume was similar to the 2012 figure of 12 MT.

Coal was 34% down overall with a tonnage of 5.35 MT, mainly due to the closure of the E.oN Kingsnorth power plant which slashed traffic by 3.85 MT. On a comparable basis, coal volumes would be up 25%.

Grain export traffic benefitted from the healthy state of the French export market, posting encouraging figures from the start of the 2013-2014 campaign. The 2013 volume was 1.55 MT, a rise of 47% over last year, with nearly 1.1 MT in the second half of 2013 alone.

«Small» bulk solids dropped 12% to 2.7 MT. At export, traffic was up 14% thanks to the good loading figures for ferro-alloys as well as slag.

Overall, bulk solids showed a fall of 11% to 21.6 MT.

Without the impact of the Kingsnorth traffic, activity would be up by 5%.
    
    • BULK LIQUIDS: PORT HIT BY SHUTDOWN OF DIESTER INDUSTRIE

Refined products showed a decrease of 7% with a volume of 5.2 MT.

Other bulk liquids were down 29% at 0.9 MT.

The main reason for the drop was the shutdown of a diester factory within the Dunkirk area which affected traffic in the Port of Dunkirk by more than 0.25 MT.

Bulk liquids were down 11% overall at 6.1 MT.

• NUMBER OF CALLS: REINFORCEMENT OF CONTAINER LINES

An analysis of traffic based on call figures reveals a 13% increase in the number of calls by container carriers, due to the startup of new lines (682 calls compared with 602 in 2012).

Calls by cross-Channel RoRo ships were logically down 4% with 3,884 calls compared with 4,037 in 2012.

The number of calls by bulk solid ships fell 25% (747 calls compared with 999 in 2012). It was affected by the shutdown of the Kingsnorth power plant which lost the Port 60% of calls by colliers (122 calls compared with 308 in 2012), particularly small ships for reloading. 

Grain performed well and the number of calls increased by 20% (65 calls compared with 54 in 2012).

Bulk liquids suffered from the increase in average ship size and the shutdown of Diester Industrie, posting a drop of 20% (649 calls compared with 815 in 2012).

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