News detail

2017 TRAFFIC: DUNKIRK BEATS 50 MT RECORDS
13rd january 2018

330_2017_Traffic

Annual traffic for 2017 was over 50.4 MT, an increase of 3% compared with 2016.

  • General cargoes . were 9% down overall, with a tonnage of 20.55 MT. Cross-Channel traffic posted a good year but had to contend with fierce competition from the other operators in this sector. Traffic totalled 16.4 MT, a fall of 10%. The number of trucks and trailers was 11% lower with 612,000 freight units. Passenger numbers dropped 8% to 2.67 million, and passenger vehicles were down by 9% to 699,000. Containers ended the year with a new record of 374,000 TEU and an increase of 10%. During 2017 this activity suffered the combined effects of Storm Matthew and then Hurricane Maria in the French Antilles, which severely affected the production of bananas and hence the imports of these fruits at the port of Dunkirk. Without these events and their economic impact, Dunkirk would have handled nearly 400,000 TEU. General cargoes showed a slight drop of 3% to 1.15 MT.
  • Solid bulks. Traffic in 2017 was helped by heavy bulks and reached 24.55 MT, an increase of 11%. ArcelorMittal's Dunkirk factory operated at full power, after the shutdowns for maintenance of Blast Furnace 2 (BF2) in 2015 and then Blast Furnace 4 (BF4) in 2016. Ore also benefitted from the high volumes of transhipment at the Western Bulk Terminal for the group's other steelworks, setting a new record with a tonnage of 14.5 MT, a rise of 24%. Coal traffic recovered a good level of activity with 6 MT, up 11%. Grain experienced contrasting results. Imports set a new record with more than 350,000 tonnes and growth of 31%. However, as for all French ports, exports were affected by the very poor harvest in 2016 and the delay in shipments of the 2017 harvest. Export traffic was limited to 950,000 tonnes, a drop of 63% compared with 2016. The traffic in "small" solid bulks performed very well at 2.8 MT, an increase of 28%.
  • Liquid bulks. After several difficult years, liquid bulks are benefitting from the opening of the LNG terminal. Petroleum products again climbed 3% to a tonnage of 3.4 MT. Gas comprises industrial gas and LNG. Total traffic reached 1.3 MT, soaring by 230% over 2016. The LNG terminal completed its first year of operation and recorded 866,000 tonnes of LNG. Other liquid bulks were down 26% to 0.4 MT.
Dunkirk holds an undisputed position as the French port with the most diversified traffic excluding petroleum, with 47 MT.



About Dunkerque-Port:
The largest French port complex (Calais-Dunkirk); the ninth port of the Channel and North Sea Range and France's third-largest port, Dunkirk has built a reputation in many sectors: it is the largest passenger port in Europe (Calais-Dunkirk hub); France's largest energy hub; the country's largest LNG terminal; the leading French port for containerised fruit and vegetable imports; the largest French port for ore and coal imports; France's largest rail port; the region's largest waterway port; and the third-ranking French port for grain traffic. Dunkerque-Port is also a sustainable port. It is the trading port of the new Hauts-de-France Region, the largest agricultural region of France, the leading region for the rail industry, and the leading region for the car industry. Traffic in 2017 was 50.4 MT.

Attached file
330_2017_Traffic - PDF (576.02 Kb)
Contact
PRESS CONTACT
Marie-Elizabeth BOGUCKI
Tel: +33 (0)3 28 28 79 11
Portable: +33 (0)6 07 13 33 42
Email: mebogucki@portdedunkerque.fr