Low oil price pushes transshipment port of Rotterdam – Financieele Dagblad (Registration)

The cargo throughput in the port of Rotterdam has grown considerably in the first three months. The low oil prices, there was a large increase in the throughput of crude oil and fuel oil. Also important for the port container throughput showed a significant increase.

Allard Castelein, director of the Port Authority, speaks in an explanation of a “very strong” first quarter. The total cargo traffic increased by 7.2% in Rotterdam. This is significantly better than in the first three months of last year, when the Port Authority had to report a slight decline. Rotterdam grew over the port of Antwerp (5.9%).

Oil

There was a notable increase in the throughput of crude oil and oil products (the so-called liquid bulk), which increased by 14.7% to 56.5 million tons. The low oil prices played an decisive role.

The decline in oil prices, the margins for the refineries are in fact increased significantly. In the port of Rotterdam four refineries are located, including the largest in Europe, Shell. Imports of crude oil, the raw material of the refineries, increased by more 6.6%.

rose by the same low oil prices the supply and removal of explosive fuel oil (over 27%). Because more crude oil is refined, there is also more fuel available. Refineries in Russia use Rotterdam as a hub to export this oil to the Far East.

The Russians need Rotterdam because from St. Petersburg only smaller tankers can sail. In Rotterdam, the oil then beaten to large tankers, which then set sail for the Far East.

To fuel demand is primarily in the Far East. In Western Europe, demand off since January 1 stricter standards apply to marine fuels used in the shipping lanes in the North and Baltic Sea.

Container

The handling of containers, expressed in standard size TEUs (a 20- foot container), grew in the first three months by 7.6%. This keeps the port according to the Port Authority, the strong growth in 2014 (6%) fixed. The increase is generally attributed to the economic recovery in Europe.

Rotterdam also benefited from shifts in the schema that ships calling at ports . These are containers that are transported through a large port like Rotterdam to smaller ports in North West Europe.

The growth in containers However, it was less than that in Antwerp (9.5%). The container terminals in Rotterdam experiencing bottlenecks in the handling at some terminals. But Castelein director of the Port Authority is optimistic, because at Maasvlakte this year new terminals are put into use. This gives according to him a lot of confidence for the development of this sector in the coming years. “

Twice come

Attractive rates for vessels calling at the port of Rotterdam twice within a short time – the so-called second call – seem to store. The number of these second calls increased by 70% to 51. These ships do the port of Rotterdam as the first and last of all, before they sail back again to Asia. For the second time companies pay only 25% of the normal rate.

Rotterdam claims to say one favorable position because it largest container – 21,000 containers per ship will be no longer the exception – can facilitate. Competing ports such as Antwerp and Hamburg to the depth of these vessels do not fully loaded.

Dissonant

A discordant note was the transshipment of dry bulk cargo (coal and ore). Namely that fell by 5.1%. A mild winter and lower demand for ore by the German steel industry were the cause.