The increase helped push up box tonnage by 10 per cent over the first half of 2016 to 6.6 million tons and general cargo up to 10.3 million tons, a 12 per cent improvement.
Cargo throughput at the country's largest seaport rose by two per cent year on year to 39.9 million tons.
The increase, which came despite a dip in oil volumes, was driven by growth in all three general cargo sectors - containers, roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and conventional traffic.
Ro-ro volumes were up eight per cent in the first half of the year to 2.2 million tons, boosted by Corsica traffic - which rose 19 per cent to 1.2 million tons - and 17 per cent growth in import/export vehicle handling at 107,904 units.
Conventional trades continued to benefit from soaring imports and exports of steel products, jumping 32 per cent to 1.5 million tons, while dry bulks grew four per cent year on year to 6.8 million tons. That total was fortified by ore imports for the steel industry, which edged up one per cent to 4.6 million tons.
Other bulks - notably scrap iron, lime and quartz - registered 34 per cent growth to total 2.1 million tons, but agro-bulks declined 79 per cent to 0.9 million tons.