Sluggish global trade hits port of Rotterdam – NOS

The port of Rotterdam has the record year of 2015 can’t match. The port has suffered from the decline in world trade. The transhipment of goods in 2016, more than a percent, to 461,2 million tonnes.

Container throughput increased, but the handling of scrap, ore and coal decreased, as is that of crude oil, LNG and fuels. In 2015, grew the supply of petroleum products with 18 percent, last year there was hardly an increase.

The closure of coal-fired power plants and more solar and wind is the cause of the winds kolenaanvoer. China press, the handling of ore. Less demand for steel in China and dumping of cheap Chinese steel on the European market causes for lower steel production in Europe, so there is less ore to be shipped in. Also there were less raw materials for construction and industry.

The crisis in the oil industry has significant implications for the Rotterdam important and heavily represented offshore companies. Many companies have employees to dismiss.

There were more containers and disposed, about 12.4 million units, an increase of 1.2 percent. Especially in the second half

of the year grew the number of containers and cargo shipped to and from Asia and North America. The crisis in Brazil does feel less containers to South America.

The container transport from and to Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal and Spain increased, but the traffic with Eastern and Northern Europe decreased, among others, by the recession in Russia.

The port of Rotterdam has a containermarktaandeel of almost 30 percent in the ports in north-west Europe, such as Hamburg, Antwerp and Le Havre. The port of Antwerp is making the last years a lot of the way in the container.

In the past four years, the container throughput in Rotterdam with a little more than 4 percent grown, but Antwerp is much stronger, with 16 percent. This is despite miljardeninvesteringen in new container terminals on the Second Maasvlakte.