Total throughput in the port of Rotterdam in the first three quarters of 2018 was 0.4% lower than in the same period the previous year.
According to a release from the port, container volumes continued to grow at a markedly higher pace than the first nine months of 2017 – even recording a new all-time high in August.
Wet and dry bulk, however, showed a decline in volume – although LNG and biomass were two positive outliers within these product segments. All in all, 350 million tonnes of cargo was handled in the port of Rotterdam, a decrease of 1.5 million tonnes compared to last year.
The port expects to make up some of the difference in the fourth quarter, so that the throughput recorded for 2018 in its entirety will be more or less equal to that of 2017.
Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority said: “The underlying shift in throughput figures that was observed in preceding quarters is continuing as expected. I am happy to see that the healthy growth in the Containers segment – one of the Port Authority’s spearheads – shows no signs of slowing down."
Allard added: "In view of the present energy transition and the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, a gradual contraction in the fossil fuels segment seems inevitable. This development creates new scope for growth in the LNG and biofuels segments – as borne out once again by this quarter’s figures.”
In 2018, container throughput also increased significantly – by 5.7% (in TEU) compared to the previous year. This resulted in a total volume of 10,780,204 TEU. The strongest increase was recorded in the first seven months, with August 2018 setting a new record with 136,500 tonnes.