The Port of Antwerp handled more than 53 million tonnes of freight in the first three months of 2016, 3.9% more than in the same period of 2015.
Container volumes performed well with growth of 4.6%, while liquid bulk rose to new heights with growth of 10.6%.
Overall, March, 2016 was the best month ever recorded in the Port of Antwerp in terms of freight volume handled.
Container tonnage rose by 3.2% during Q1, 2016, finishing at more than 29 million tonnes. This corresponds to a volume of more than 2.4 million TEU, up 4.6% on the same period in 2015.
Ro/ro volumes remained almost static, up just 0.4% to more than 1.1 million tonnes. The number of cars handled rose by 5.7%, to more than 308,000 units.
Breakbulk also registered growth in comparison with 2015 as a result of the volume of steel handled.
At the end of March, 2016 the total volume of conventional break-bulk stood at more than 2.37 million tonnes, an increase of 2.4%.
A total of 3,535 seagoing ships called at the Port of Antwerp during the past three months, an increase of 3.7%.