The Swiss port of Basel on the river Rhine has recorded a major increase in goods traffic over the past year.
The amount of goods transported rose to 8.5 million tonnes - an increase of nearly 15 per cent over 1999.
Container and departure traffic also reached record levels in 2000, the port said in a statement on Saturday. Container transport was up by 11 per cent.
Nonetheless, the amount of goods leaving Basel last month was three per cent down on the same month in 1999. The relatively small level of oil products transported via Basel was one of the reasons for the December decline.
Basel - located on the border with France and Germany - is landlocked Switzerland's main port.
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