Port of Rotterdam TEUs up 13.4% in 2005

Port of Rotterdam TEUs up 13.4% in 2005    The port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest container port, reported that its container volumes increased 13.4 percent to 9.3 million TEUs in 2005, from 8.2 million TEUs in 2004.
   Rotterdam’s total cargo throughput for 2005 was a record 369.2 million tons, up 4.7 percent over the 352.6 million tons handled in 2004. Total cargo imports increased 3.4 percent to 280.5 million tons, while exports increased by 8.9 percent to 88.7 million tons.
   The port recorded increases in the transshipment of mineral and oil products (up 27 percent), coal (up 7 percent), dry bulk cargo (4 percent), and liquid bulk cargo (4 percent). Decreases were reported for roll on/roll off cargo (down 9 percent), ores and scrap (down 5 percent), general cargo (7 percent) and crude oil (1 percent).
   The port said it will be difficult to achieve the same level of growth in the coming 12 months. “We have quite a job on our hands to hang on to present levels, especially in the area of oil products,” said Hans Smits, the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s chief executive officer “On the other hand, macroeconomic growth expectations are becoming increasingly favorable. We will be happy if throughput in general in the port keep growing at roughly the same pace, say 3 to 4 percent.”