Throughput increased for the ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp in 2014

A number of European ports that handle dry bulk cargo have released throughput figures for 2014. Highlights from some of those in the Netherlands and Belgium are provided below.

Port of Antwerp, Belgium

The Port of Antwerp handled approximately 199 million t of freight in 2014, up 4.3% y/y. Within this, container and liquid bulk increased by 5.9% and 5.6% y/y, respectively, although conventional breakbulk and dry bulk experienced declines. Around 13.5 million t of dry bulk was handled in 2014, this is down 6.1% on the previous year. Coal volumes also contracted, falling by 34.9% y/y to 1.42 million t.

Amsterdam port region, Netherlands

Provisional figures for seaports in the North Sea Canal Area, which includes the ports of Amsterdam, Ijmuiden, Beverwijk and Zaanstad, indicate that transhipment increased by 1.7% y/y to a record 97.4 million t in 2014. Total transhipment for the Port of Amsterdam was up 1.4% y/y to 79.7 million t, with imports and exports rising by 1% and 2% y/y, respectively. Transhipment levels also grew at the port of Ijmuiden (+3% y/y) and Zaanstad (+17% y/y), but declined by 9% y/y in Beverwijk.

In Amsterdam, the transhipment of dry bulk cargo improved by 1% y/y, from 33.7 million t in 2013 to 34.4 million t in 2014.

Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands

At the Port of Rotterdam, throughput increased by 1% y/y to 445 million t in 2014. Within this, volumes within the container sector grew by 5.8% y/y and breakbulk improved by 12.1% y/y. However, oil products were down 8.1% y/y and dry bulk experienced a decline of 0.7% y/y, falling to 88.6 million t.

The slight decline in the dry bulk category reflects a mixed performance for dry bulk materials. While agribulk grew by 9.2%, ores and scrap were down 5.2% and coal throughput decreased by 0.9% y/y. Those materials listed as ‘other dry bulk’, such as raw materials for industry and the construction sector, experienced an increase of 6.8% y/y.

Adapted from press releases by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/29012015/2014-port-throughput-figures-antwerp-rotterdam-amsterdam-237/