OIL CARGOES BOOST AMSTERDAM’S ANNUAL TRAFFIC

OIL CARGOES BOOST AMSTERDAM’S ANNUAL TRAFFIC    The ports of Amsterdam handled a total cargo volume of about 70 million tons in 2002, 2.4 percent more than in the previous year.
   The Dutch ports highlighted a 9-percent annual increase in oil product traffic last year, to 14.4 million tons.
   “Increasing demand in Europe and the United States, and the uncertain situation in the Middle East, helped increase the world trade in oil,” a port spokesman said.
   Oil products are the second largest commodity group at the Dutch ports. The ports also saw growth in animal feeds (up 1 percent), ores and scrap (up 4 percent) and fertilizers (up 64).
   By contrast, the ports’ number one commodity group — coal — suffered a 3-percent fall in traffic levels in 2002, to 18.6 million tons, due to economic developments and increasing competition.
   The Amsterdam ports said that container traffic remain “only a modest contributor” to total port volumes. However, the ports expressed confidence about future container traffic growth.
   “Now that the huge Japanese shipping company and international service provider NYK has acquired the revolutionary Ceres Paragon Terminal, I expect a healthy start in container transshipment in Amsterdam during the course the year,' said Amsterdam ports executive director Hans Gerson.
   In 2003, the ports of Amsterdam are planning to strengthen their international logistics activities, including through the development of logistics services at their Atlas facility.