Spectacular growth at Valparaiso

Container traffic accounted for the vast majority of this volume, totalling 2,087,357 tonnes for the three-month period, up 66% year-on-year. In terms of teu, throughput jumped by 65.1%, with 217,697 units handled, compared with 131,819 in Q1 2006.

In March 2007, general cargo throughput climbed to 1,069,517 tonnes, a 25.4% increase compared with March 2006. Volumes of containerised cargo leaped by 52.6% to 772,372 tonnes, from 506,114 tonnes in March 2006. In terms of teu, throughput for the month was up an impressive 51% year-on-year, at 78,703 units.

According to Harald Jaeger, general manager at Empresa Portuaria Valparaiso (EPV), the main reasons for this continuing growth were the consolidation of the port’s development plan and a significant increase in its efficiency and productivity in handling cargoes.