October 24, 2016 [PortNews IAA] - Compared to the excellent first three quarters of 2015 (+5.4%), cargo throughput in the same period this year fell by 1.9%. The decrease was particularly strong in coal and iron ore, the company said in its press release.
Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority: “Each of the different sectors in the port has its own dynamic. The 1.9% decrease is consequently the sum of a number of different developments. In 2016 as a whole, we hope to get near the total throughput achieved in the record year 2015.” Last year, throughput in the port increased by 4.9%, to 466 million tonnes. Castelein: “Throughput figures only tell part of the story. For example, companies in the offshore sector are currently under pressure, and a number of businesses in the region recently announced large-scale layoffs.”
Liquid bulk
Throughput in liquid bulk fell by 0.4%, to 160.0 million tonnes. The volume of crude oil handled in the port saw a 1.6% decrease. While the refineries’ margins are still positive, they are smaller than last year. The throughput of mineral oil products is virtually unaltered: +0.2%. While the port handled a lower volume of Russian fuel oil, it did put through more diesel fuel, naphtha, kerosene and gasoline. Nine months into the year, the volume of LNG put through Rotterdam is 23.9% lower than the level recorded in 2015. The decrease in this segment can mainly be attributed to poorer conditions in the re-export market. Other liquid bulk saw a combined increase of 3.6%.
