Port of Rotterdam reports container volume decrease in Q1

Port of Rotterdam (Photo: iStock)

This decline has already begun in 2022 due to reduced container volume to and from Russia. According to the port's announcement, because the war in Ukraine just started at the end of February last year, the impact on cargo throughput volumes in the first quarter of 2022 was still limited.

Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, commented: "AAs expected, the year 2023 started with a slight decline in throughput. Especially in the container segment, we faced a decline in volumes due to high inflation and a weakening economy. Results in the other segments mainly show growth and confirm that dependence on Russian energy flows has been further reduced in line with the sanctions. For the remainder of the year, we expect a limited decline in throughput volumes due to the uncertainties posed by the current geopolitical situation and high inflation.”

In addition, the drop in container imports from Asia (-14.2% in TEU) due to lower demand for physical goods due to high inventories and inflation were also reflected in throughput data. Although the chain's operations improved strongly, no feeder activity was restored in the first quarter.

“These volumes moved to smaller ports due to congestion during the pandemic,” the port pointed out in its report.

Meanwhile, the main European port reported that it handled 1.5% less cargo in the first three months of the year than it did in the same period of 2022. In total, 111.7 million tonnes were handled.

The decline was mainly related to container and freight volumes in the breakbulk segment (Roll-on/Roll-off and other general cargo), while output in mineral oil, crude oil, LNG, iron ore & scrap, agricultural products and coal increased.

Liquid bulk volume increased by 5.6% to 54.3 million tons, the dry bulk segment increased slightly by 0.2% to 17.9 million tons and total volume in the bulk cargo segment (Roll-on/Roll-off and other general cargo) fell 6% to 7.9 million tons in Q1 2023.

Read more:

• Port of Melbourne fell 18.4% container volumes in February
• Port of Los Angeles saw a sharp decline in container throughput in the first months of 2023

Source: Phaata.com (According to ContainerNews)

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