TROUBLES in Rotterdam have been partly responsible for a significant boost of cargo handled by Antwerp as volume climbed by nearly 12% in the first three months of this year, Helen Hill in Amsterdam.

Port of Antwerp said that a 11.8% rise in freight saw freight volumes stand at 44.6m tonnes in the three months compared with the same period a year earlier.

With strike action at Smit Harbour Towage in Rotterdam and resulting congestion which saw many vessels diverted, container volumes soared, growing by 18% compared with the first quarter of 2006 to 22.7m tonnes or 1.9m teu, an increase of 17.4%.

March particularly was a 'absolute record month' with 16.4m tonnes handled overall and containers rose by a massive 24.9% in teu to 741,255 and to 8.5m tonnes, which was up 24.3%.

Antwerp's Deurganck container dock has also seen a growth in volumes.

From January to March the volume of conventional-breakbulk freight was 4.9m tonnes, representing an increase of 13.1%.

Steel volumes rose by 22.6%, with imports from Asia nearly doubling in a year and the European economy fuelling demand.

But the Belgian port said there was still a continuing need to improve Antwerp's competitive position in conventional breakbulk.

'This will require making the port dues more attractive, modernising the terminals and making labour organisation more flexible,' it added.

At 337,588 tonnes, fruit remained around the same level as the previous year.

Ro-ro volume increased by 16.6% to 1m tonnes, due largely to Stora Enro's new trade in wood cellulose, carried to Gothenborg by Cobelfret. Cars fell slightly by 1.3% to 214,531.

Liquid bulk rose by 12.7%. During the second half of last year oil prices fell again and more liquid bulk was traded and transported.

The port authority said that over a period of several years there had been a structural increase in the amount of liquid bulk handled.

This was driven by the rising demand for energy and the expansion of the European chemical and petrochemical industry.

Dry bulk fell by 8.1%, largely due to the mild winter leading to less coal being handled.