Rotterdam cargo throughput up 1% in 2014

Dry bulk and liquid bulk cargo throughputs both saw minor declines, while containers and breakbulk saw improvements over 2013.

Renovation of blast furnaces in Germany contributed to a 5.2% drop in ores and scrap to 34m tonnes, but agribulk and other dry bulk saw improvements of 9.2% and 4.9% to 11.2m tonnes and 12.8m tonnes respectively.

For liquid bulk cargoes crude oil was up 4.8% to 95.3m tonnes, but oil products and other liquid bulks both fell, by 8.1% and 7.4% to 75m tonnes and 30.8m tonnes respectively. Although small in scale, LNG made an improvement of 59.5% to 1.2m tonnes in 2014.

Economic recovery in the UK spurred an 8% rise in ro-ro cargo to 20m tonnes, while other general cargo, mostly consisting of building materials, was up 28.1% to 26m tonnes.

In teu terms container throughput was up 5.8% to 12.2m teu, an increase the port authority believes is a sign of the initial effects of upscaling in the shipping industry and an economic recovery in Europe.

The port expects growth of around 1% in 2015, led primarily by containers. Terminals on Maasvlakte II will be starting up in 2015, but extra capacity for growth will not be realised until 2016.