Port Réunion handled 3,7 million tonnes of goods during the first eight months of 2022, figure down 9% compared to the same period in 2021, record year. “The current context, marked by the health crisis which is disrupting maritime transport and by the war in Ukraine which is adding to pre-existing tensions over raw materials, explains this drop in activity compared to 2021, decline amplified by the passage of two cyclones in the first quarter”, according to the Grand Maritime Port. Containerized traffic amounted to nearly 243,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent) handled from January to August. Container imports increase by 1%, but transshipment traffic falls by 25%, due to the saturation of the platforms invaded by overdue empty containers and the deconstruction work on the two old gantry cranes which reduced the usable length of the quay. During its supervisory board meeting on September 22, the Grand Maritime Port announced that the evacuation of empty containers by shipping companies was underway. From 8,000 TEUs in the second quarter, their number had fallen to 2,300 at the end of September. The supervisory board also voted for an investment of 3,8 million euros in the renovation of the oldest portico, which allows the operation of small vessels, and approved the acquisition of a floating dock intended for ship repair (18 million euros, including modernization of onshore facilities).
