Port of Rotterdam: 12.4 million TEU (+1.2%) in 2016
Throughput of freight in Rotterdam fell by 1.1 percent to 461.2 million tonnes in 2016. The fall can largely be attributed to dry bulk such as ores and coal. Liquid bulk managed to hold on to the high level reached in 2015. At the time the sector was growing by over 10 percent.
Throughput of containers rose by 1.2 percent to 12.4 million TEU and a 0.6 percent-increase in weight to 127.1 million tonnes. More cargo was shipped to and from the Far East and North America, but less went to South America. Within Europe, both feeder traffic and short sea traffic between Rotterdam and Great Britain, Ireland, Spain and Portugal increased. At the same time, container traffic to the ScanBaltic shipping area decreased, mainly due to the weak Russian economy.
In the second half of the year, the two new container terminals at Maasvlakte 2 underwent strong growth. In the first half of the year they jointly handled 0.6 million TEU, rising to 1.1 million TEU in the second half of the year. As in previous years, Rotterdam’s share of the market in de Hamburg-Le Havre range was around 30 percent.
Despite the announcement of Brexit, RoRo traffic increased by 1.7 percent to 22.4 million tonnes. This not only involves shipping to and from Great Britain, but also Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal. Throughput of other general cargo increased by 3 percent to 5.9 million tonnes, mainly due to the fact that more steel and non-ferrous metals were handled. RoRo and other general cargo combine to form the breakbulk category. This increased by 2 percent to 28.3 million tonnes.
Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority: “After exceptional 4.9 percent growth in 2015, we have to be content that most sectors have been able to equal or even slightly exceed these volumes in 2016. The Rotterdam port and industrial complex is facing huge challenges, in particular digitisation and energy transition as well as stiff competition from surrounding ports.”