Throughput rose by 12 per cent in the space of 12 months, making 2009 a good year for the Freeport, the company said yesterday.

Giving an overview of operations last year, it said 2009 had been of paramount importance and had seen a number of investment projects being implemented.

Various measures bore fruitful results because the number of containers reached over 2.26 million TEUs (a standard sized container measuring 20 feet or 6.1 metres). This was only slightly lower than the record-breaking 2.33 million TEUs of 2008, de-spite the global economic recession.

The company said traffic volume had increased by 53 per cent since 2006, with the Freeport last year attracting additional shipping lines to its facilities.

The number of full-time equivalent employees stood at 1,258, the company said, denying media reports that it was making 30 employees redundant and putting another 100 on "forced leave".

"The Freeport - like any other transhipment port in the Med-iterranean - is presently facing stiff competitive challenges but so far has not had to resort to redundancies since the container volumes being handled are in line with the level of workforce employed by the company," it said.

Last year, Malta Freeport's parent company, CMA CGM, invested €52 million in its

facilities. The Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin confirmed yesterday there would be no redundancies at the Freeport in spite of reports in certain sections of the media.

The union, which represents Freeport workers, said the company's management had given assurances that no jobs would be shed even though it was passing through difficult economic times.

Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.