Overall throughput at Port of Marseilles Fos, France improved from a 6 percent drop to the end of June to finish the first nine months of 2014 some 3 percent down at 58.8 million tonnes.
The decrease of 1.9 million tonnes compared with last year was attributable to continuing market changes in oil trades, which left liquid bulks 6 percent worse at 35.5 million tonnes.
The liquid bulks total included 32.6 million tonnes in oil and oil products. This was 7 percent down for the period but better than the 13 percent first-half decline thanks to refined products rising 20 percent to 9.4 million tonnes. Crude imports for national refineries fell 13 percent to 16.7 million tonnes, crude for pipeline delivery to southern Europe was down 7 percent on 1.9 million tonnes, LNG slid 28 percent to 3.2 million tonnes and LPG lost 2 percent with 1.4 million tonnes. Elsewhere in the sector, liquid chemicals and agro-products rose 8 percent to 2.8 million tonnes.
