DunkirkÆs box volumes flat in 2006
The Port of Dunkirk Authority reported that the French port's container throughput rose a modest 1 percent in 2006 to 206,000 TEUs.
Container imports and exports were split at 104,000 TEUs and 102,000 TEUs respectively.
Dunkirk handled a record 56.7 million metric tons of general cargo, an improvement of 5 percent compared to 53.3 million metric tons in the previous year.
Imports totaled 40.3 million metric tons, up 5 percent, with exports up 9 percent to 16.4 million metric tons.
For 2007, the port authority has set a budget of 44 million euros ($57.2 million) to improve facilities, including three major infrastructure projects, totaling 20 million euros ($26 million):
* The St. Georges spur, a new railway at the Western Port terminal.
* Renovation and extension of the container terminal's storage yards.
* Extension of the parking and staging areas for roll-on/roll-off traffic.
In November, APM Terminals acquired 61 percent of the port authority's shares in the Dunkirk Container Terminal (Nord France Terminal International), giving the A.P. Moller-Maersk subsidiary majority ownership and operational management until 2034. Terminal Link, a subsidiary of CMA-CGM, holds 30 percent of the terminal's shares, while the Port of Dunkirk Authority retained the remaining 9 percent.