The container segment of the Port of Rotterdam is experiencing a slight increase in throughput volumes for the first time in three years.
Throughput in tonnes showed an increase of 3.3 per cent (from 31.5 million tonnes to 32.5 million tonnes) and in TEU, throughput increased by 2.0 per cent to 3.3 million TEU at the Dutch port.
The situation in the Red Sea resulted in significantly fewer ships (-24.5 per cent) and less volume from Asia (-13.7 per cent) in January and February due to delays and missed sailings. Fitting in the changed sailing schedules initially led to the necessary adjustments in the logistics chain.
Overall demand for freight remains largely unaffected, with the situation now under control, reported the port. In March there were significantly more ships arriving (11.5 per cent) and volumes from Asia recovered. Volumes in the other shipping areas also showed a positive result. Cautious economic recovery and destocking are contributing to this.
Moreover, total throughput at the port of Rotterdam fell by 1.4 per cent in Q1 2024 compared to the same period last year.
In the first three months of this year, throughput was 110.1 million tonnes compared to 111.7 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2023. The decline is mainly due to less throughput of coal, crude oil and oil products. Throughput of iron ore and scrap and LNG increased.
READ: Port of Rotterdam surpasses €800 million
Boudewijn Siemons, CEO & Interim COO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority said: “The throughput figures show limited imports of raw materials and exports of finished products.
“This tells us that European industrial production is still suffering from high energy prices and low demand from the biggest declining sectors such as construction and the processing and automotive industries.
“From the growth in container throughput, we see the first signs that world trade is picking up. However, these tentative signs remain highly uncertain due to rising global tensions.”
