The port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, has announced that its volume in the first half of the year is largely unchanged from last year. Container traffic dropped slightly, with ro-ro traffic up by 2%.
The first half of 2013 saw a result of €118m ($156m), a 0.9% decline from 2012. Container tonnage was down 2%, although the number of twenty-foot equivalents (TEU) rose 1%. Revenues supplied by rent increased by €15m (11%) in comparison to the first half of 2012. This growth is thought to be the result of new sites being leased out to customers, as
well as price revisions. Seaport dues decreased by 2%, reflecting the port’s overall decline in throughput. Operating expenses, on a half-yearly basis, are slightly higher than during last year.
While ro-ro traffic increased by 2% to more than 9m tonnes, the report stated that this volume is highly dependent on the growth of the British economy, which it said is not yet showing any signs of a strong recovery. As pointed out in an analyst note by Transport Intelligence senior analyst, Thomas Cullen, this complaint is somewhat in contrast to strong automotive growth in production and sales in the UK. However, it is likely a reflection of slow trailer traffic by ro-ro to the UK.
The port of Rotterdam reported handling 335,000 new vehicles in 2012, including 300,000 imports.
