THE Port of Antwerp, Europe's second largest, posted a year-on-year 0.5 per cent decrease in container volume to 6,517,956 TEU for the first nine months of 2012.

According to the port, its box volumes were better than other sectors including breakbulk traffic which steeply reversed to 16.1 per cent drop due to the economic climate.

 Rival Rotterdam recorded a decline of 1.6 per cent in the first six months of the year and is yet to report its first nine-month's traffic.

(Source:shipping online)