Port of Rotterdam posts drop in cargo volumes

The European port reported a 1.9 percent year-over-year decline in cargo volumes for the first nine months of the year, largely due to the drop in coal and iron ore shipments.    Cargo tonnage declined 1.9 percent during the first nine months of the year at the Port of Rotterdam, primarily due to the drop in coal and iron ore business, the port authority reported Monday. Rotterdam handled 466 million tons of goods for the full year in 2015.
   Container throughput for the first three quarters, compared to the same period last year, dipped 0.4 percent to 9.3 million TEUs. The port authority said throughput was down from January to May, but volumes for June through September were higher than the same months a year ago. It expects the trend to continue because of new sailing schedules adopted by the new shipping industry alliances and the further development of the terminals at Maasvlakte 2.
   The bankruptcy of Korean shipping company Hanjin resulted in the loss of an estimated 30,000 TEUs of business, but other shipping lines are expected to quickly pick up former Hanjin customers and fill the void, the port authority said.
   Liquid bulk volumes dipped 0.4 percent to 160 million tons. Crude oil was down 1.6 percent during the nine-month period and liquefied natural gas throughput fell 23.9 percent due to a poor re-export market.
   Dry bulk business fell 7.8 percent to 60.3 million tons. Iron ore and scrap metal were down 8.5 percent due to dumping of cheap Chinese steel in the German market and temporary maintenance shut downs at two major blast furnaces, the port authority said. Coal volumes fell 10.3 percent as renewable energy production increases and coal-fired plants cut back on operations.
   Other European ports are experiencing similar declines in dry bulk business.
   The Port of Antwerp said dry bulk tonnage fell 11.6 percent in the first three quarters of the year, especially for iron ore, fertilizers and sand/gravel. Antwerp’s container volumes grew 4 percent for the period and its overall tonnage rose 3.3 percent.