Containers lead surge at Le Havre

The recent upturn for general cargo continued, with totals up 20.9% to 10.9 Mt at the end of May. There was particularly strong growth in container traffic, with an increase of 23.6% to 10.3 Mt for the period. In May Le Havre passed the 1m teu mark for the first time in its history, with an estimated 1.039m teu representing a 25.9% increase compared with the first five months of 2006.

Dry bulks also had an excellent start to the year, rising by an overall average of 35.9% to 2.1 Mt. Liquid bulk activity declined by 2.3% to 19.5Mt, however. Passenger numbers increased by 32.5%, from 80,755 to 107,000, and at the end of April LD Lines launched a new daily service from Le Havre to Newhaven.