Cargo volumes handled at the Port of Rotterdam increased by 0.8 per cent during 2011, according to new figures from the Port Authority, up 3m tonnes to a total 433m tonnes.
Supply climbed by 0.8 per cent to 308m tonnes, while distribution grew 0.7 per cent to 126m tonnes, with a strong performances from containers (up 10 per cent year-on-year) as well as agribulk, dry bulk and general cargo.
'We are recording growth for the ninth time in 10 years, in spite of the disappointing economy and the fall in growth of throughout since November in the port,' said Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Hans Smits. 'This demonstrates the importance of ongoing investment in capacity and new activities, such as the storage of LNG and the production of bio-ethanol.
'Throughput in the port is strongly connected to developments in relevant world trade and German industrial production,' he added. 'On the basis of this, we expect to maintain the current level next year. In the second half of the year, I expect that we will have put the European confidence crisis behind us. Businesses and the Port Authority will continue investing in such things as Maasvlakte 2, container and tank terminals, because we also expect reasonable growth as from 2013.'
