JOC Staff | Jan 31, 2013 10:26AM EST
Duisburg’s container traffic reached an all-time high in 2012 even as total throughput at the world’s largest inland port slumped 12 percent on sharply lower coal and steel shipments.
The German port boosted box shipments by 4 percent to 2.6 million 20-foot-equivalent units from 2.5 million TEUs in 2011, driven by a 6.8 percent rise in barge and feeder traffic and a 1.1 percent increase in rail cargoes.
The decline in total traffic to 110 million metric tons from 125.6 million metric tons in 2011 reflected lower European steel production and falling coal consumption as countries switch to alternative energy sources.
The port, which is located in the middle of the Ruhr industrial belt, said it expects further growth in container traffic because of the planned expansion and construction of new and existing terminal capacities.
A new combined transport terminal, Logport 111, will open in 2013.
Duisport, the port operating company, will open an 800,000-square-meter logistics hub for carmaker Audi in the summer.
