Container traffic in the port of Antwerp surged 16.9 percent in the first nine months of 2010 from a year ago to move within sight of the pre-crisis record set in 2008.

The Belgian port handled 6.3 million 20-foot equivalent units from January through September compared with an all time high of the 6.65 million TEUs in same period in 2008 before global container shipping entered its deepest slump.

Total cargo volume also returned to pre-crisis levels after growing 13.2 percent to 132.2 million metric tons from almost 117 million metric tons in the year-earlier period.

The port authority said it expects to close the year with a total volume of 175 million metric tons if the current trend continues.

The Journal of Commerce Online