Port of Rotterdam sees box traffic surge

Port of Rotterdam sees box traffic surge    The port of Rotterdam saw container traffic surge an estimated 19 percent to about 2.2 million TEUs in the first quarter, saying it expects container traffic to rise “by at least 10 percent” this year.
   The Dutch port said container traffic was the fastest growing type of cargo during the past three months. Container tonnage during the latest quarter rose 18 percent to 22 million tons. Total port traffic including all commodities increased 6 percent to 92 million tons.
   Expressed in TEUs, container traffic increased 360,000 TEUs year-on-year in the first quarter. Incoming traffic improved 22 percent to 1.1 million TEUs, while outbound box volume rose 16 percent to 1.1 million TEUs.
   A spokesman for the port of Rotterdam attributed the strong container growth to rising cargo volumes from China and Brazil, as well as the conversion of a Goole/Rotterdam service from roll-on/roll-off to containers.
   In the first quarter, traffic volumes fell for agribulk cargoes (down 8 percent), ores and scrap (2 percent) and ro/ro traffic (8 percent). Overall traffic for dry bulk goods rose 3 percent to 22 million tons in the first quarter, while the total traffic of liquid bulk cargoes at the port increased 3 percent to 42 million tons.