The port of Rotterdam’s total throughput was 110.1 million tons in the first three months of this year, compared to 111.7 million tons in the first quarter of 2023. The decline was mainly due to lower throughput of coal, crude oil and petroleum products, it said Dutch port company. On the other hand, the throughput of iron ore & scrap as well as LNG has increased. Boudewijn Siemons, CEO & COO at the Port of Rotterdam Authority:
“The turnover figures show that imports of raw materials and exports of finished products are limited. This shows us that European industrial production is still suffering from high energy prices and low demand in the most declining sectors such as construction, manufacturing and automotive. The first signs of an upturn in world trade can be seen in the growth in container throughput. However, these tentative signs remain extremely uncertain due to increasing global tensions.”
Dry bulk cargo
The throughput of dry bulk cargo fell by 4.5 percent compared to the first three months of 2023. According to the port company, the main reason for this decline is the sharp decline in coal throughput. Due to lower demand for energy coal to generate electricity in coal-fired power plants, two million tons less coal was handled than in the previous year.
With the increase in German steel production, the throughput of iron ore has also increased. However, the strong increase of 93.7 percent in the other dry bulk goods segment was distorted by the fact that there was a correction in throughput in the first quarter of 2023.
Other dry bulk saw a decline of 16.8 percent. This includes raw materials used in energy-intensive sectors. Production in these sectors is still low because energy costs account for a large part of production costs.
Liquid bulk cargo
The throughput of liquid bulk cargo fell by 3.1 percent to 52.6 million tons. The decline of 1.6 million tons can be attributed to lower throughput of crude oil, petroleum products and other liquid bulk goods.
The throughput of LNG as a natural gas source, however, increased again by 3.6 percent to 9.1 million tons. The other liquid bulk segment saw declines in everything from chemicals to renewable energy to plant & animal products. The manufacturing industry in Europe is still struggling due to high energy prices and lack of demand, the port company said.
Containers and general cargo
In the container segment, a slight increase in throughput was recorded for the first time in three years. Container throughput in tonnes increased by 3.3 percent from 31.5 million tonnes to 32.5 million tonnes and in TEU by 2.0 percent to 3.3 million TEU.
Source: www.transport-online.de