Port of Rotterdam sees 13% rise in containers

Port of Rotterdam sees 13% rise in containers The Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest container complex, increased its container throughput 13 percent in the first half of 2007 to 5.3 million TEUs.
   Rotterdam’s total traffic for all types of commodities went up 4.2 percent to 196 million tons of cargo. Liquid bulk cargo was up 4 percent to 91 million tons while general cargo, including containers, rose 12 percent to 64 million tons. Dry bulk cargo dropped 6 percent to 42 million tons.
   “It was a strong six months, with above average growth,” said Hans Smits, chief executive officer at the Port of Rotterdam Authority. “This was despite the fall in inbound oil due to a smashed jetty. The great figures for oil products and containers easily made up for this setback. This compensatory effect is a little less marked in the second half of the year, but I'm still counting on annual results of over 390 million tons.”