Banque Nationale Belgique : Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der Belgischen Seehäfen - Flash Schätzung 2015 PDF

2016-10-26

To meet the demand for rapidly available indicators signalling developments in value added and employment at Belgian ports, the National Bank of Belgium has since 2006 published a flash estimate based on the annual accounts filed up to the end of August. It is issued just over six months prior to the publication of the annual study containing exhaustive statistics on the ports' results.

Note: The figures for 2015 are estimates produced by means of statistical techniques. Consequently, the final figures, which will be published in spring 2017, might be slightly different.

(millions of euros - current pric es)

Maritime cluster1 Non-maritime cluster Total

2014 * 2015 e 2014 * 2015 e 2014 * 2015 e

Source: NBB.

e = estimates

* the minor differences compared with the figures previously published are due to additional improvements.

1 Two clusters are considered: the maritime cluster and the non-maritime cluster. The maritime cluster, which includes branches of the ports themselves, and whose existence is essential to them (management and maintenance, shipping, transhipment, affreightment, storage, dredging, fishing, maritime services, etc.). The segments that do not have an immediate economic link with port activity which exhibit a close interdependence with it are known as "non-maritime" and include the segments of industry, wholesale trade, transport and logistic services.

(full-time equivalents)

Maritime cluster Non-maritime cluster Total

2014 * 2015 e 2014 * 2015 e 2014 * 2015 e

Source: NBB.

e = estimates

* the minor differences compared with the figures previously published are due to additional improvements.

Comment

The flash estimate shows that the value added generated in the Belgian ports in 2015 recorded particularly strong growth of around 7.3%, whereas employment maintained its downward trend, declining by 1.3%.

More than ever, these developments need to be viewed in context and interpreted with a degree of caution.

All the Belgian ports except Liège recorded an increase in total value added. The weaker performance of the port of Liège (-10.3%) is attributable entirely to the non-maritime cluster, particularly the energy and cement industry. In the ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge there was also a deterioration in the non-maritime cluster. In Zeebrugge that was due to a bankruptcy in the transport sector and a decline in value added in the energy sector. In Ostend, the decrease was more the result of less depreciation and downward valuations in the metalworking industry, rather than sluggish activity. In relative terms, the almost 58% increase in value added in the non-maritime cluster in the port of Brussels is the most striking figure. That also needs to be considered in context because the growth of value added was influenced primarily by other revenues resulting from financial shifts within an international group that includes a dominant company in the port zone. With the exception of the port of Ghent, the maritime cluster shows strong growth in all the ports (+10%). However, the decline in Ghent (-8.7%) is due to 'insourcing' of a maritime activity by a major company in the non-maritime cluster (in car manufacturing).

In recent years, employment has been declining in almost all the ports. Despite the very good value added growth, it was not possible to halt that trend, and employment declined further except in the port of Brussels. That fall is apparent for all the ports together in both clusters. In the maritime cluster the largest fall occurred in the port of Ghent, as a result of the said insourcing by an industrial company. In the non-maritime cluster there is a general decline affecting the various branches. The increase in Brussels is due to an activity taken over from another group location in the chemical industry.

The figure of 1.7% overall growth of cargo traffic in 2015 masks wide variations between ports. Antwerp achieved particularly strong growth of 4.7%, while the ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend saw traffic decline by more than 9%. The port of Ghent posted 1.8% growth, while in the ports of Liège and Brussels traffic was down by 2.6% and 1.7% respectively. In Antwerp, container traffic increased sharply while maritime restructuring caused a substantial decline in this category in Zeebrugge. In the case of liquid bulk, the ports which are relevant for this type of cargo recorded a considerable increase (+5.9%). Ro-ro traffic rose strongly in the ports of Zeebrugge (+3.1%) and Antwerp (+4.1%); conversely, Ghent experienced a decline of around 3.3%. Zeebrugge is still the leading port for ro-ro traffic. After years of decline in conventional general cargo, particularly apparent in the port of Antwerp, 2015 brought an increase of 3.3% for all the Flemish ports combined, and more specifically growth of 1.2% in Antwerp.

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

300

150

4,000

2,000

millions of euros (current prices)

millions of euros (current prices)

millions of euros (current prices)

millions of euros (current prices)

full-time equivalents

full-time equivalents

équivalents temps plein

full-time equivalents

4

Direct value added 2010 - 2015

Port of Antwerp

Direct employment 2010 - 2015

Port of Antwerp

12,500

10,000

7,500

5,000

2,500

0

75,000

60,000

45,000

30,000

15,000

0

2010 2011

2012 2013 2014 2015 e

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 2015 e

Direct value added 2010 - 2015

Port of Ghent

Direct employment 2010 - 2015

Port of Ghent

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

40,000

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 2015 e

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 2015 e

Direct value added 2010 - 2015

Port of Ostend

Direct employment 2010 - 2015

Port of Ostend

600

8,000

450

6,000

0

0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 2015 e

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 2015 e

Direct value added 2010 - 2015

Port of Zeebrugge

Direct employment 2010 - 2015

Port de Zeebrugge

1,250

1,000

750

500

250

0

12,500

10,000

7,500

5,000

2,500

0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 2015 e

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014 2015 e