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Boxes are bright spot as Rotterdam traffic shrinks

[ October 23, 2024   //   ]

Rotterdam’s container throughput increased 3% in terms of weight to 101.1 million tonnes and 2.2% in volume terms to 10.4 million TEU in the first nine months of 2024, said the port authority. The rise occurred against a background of a 0.4% decrease in total traffic in the same period 328.6 million tonnes compared to 329.9 million tonnes in the same period of the previous year.

The increase was mainly due to increasing consumer spending in Europe but, with industrial production in Europe yet to fully recover, exports of finished goods such as capital goods and automotive parts are lagging behind. Uncertainties due to reroutes around the Cape of Good Hope led to an early peak season in summer but by September some services were diverted via other ports.

Port of Rotterdam Authority chief executive, Boudewijn Siemons, said: “Global trade saw a tentative recovery in recent months. Consumer confidence has increased and this translated to a growth in container throughput. The drop in the throughput in other segments sadly shows that European industry is still wrestling with a weak competitive position due to high energy costs. These developments come as no surprise. We continue to deal with major challenges on the geopolitical stage and in the global supply chains. We therefore don’t expect to see any major shifts in commodity flows in the remaining months of this year.”

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