Rotterdam ups oil throughput by 11% in H1
Transshipment of crude oil in the port of Rotterdam rose in the first half of 2008 by 11% in comparison with the same period last year. Expressed in millions of tonnes, throughput increased from 46 to 51 million tonnes. In view of macro-economic developments, the Port of Rotterdam Authority expects growth in the throughput of crude oil to level off to 4% for the year as a whole.
Loss of unloading capacity at the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal due to a collision at the beginning of 2007 continues to be well compensated for by making more use of other jetties.
Nevertheless, a number of tankers are still sailing straight to the refinery in Vlissingen (Flushing). This means that throughput could have been even higher had the second MOT jetty been available.
Throughput figures for the first half of 2008 for all types of cargo, together with the financial half-year figures for the Port of Rotterdam Authority, will be presented on 19 August 2008.
Perspective
Growth in the second quarter is virtually the same as that in the first quarter. From an historical perspective, the absolute volume of oil is at a high but not unusual level: in the past 15 years, imports fluctuated between 94 and 102 million tonnes. The variable with the greatest impact was and is macro-economic development in Benelux and Germany. In addition, a role is also played by the refining margin, the difference between the price of crude oil and products made from it such as petrol and kerosene.
Rotterdam Oil Complex
Rotterdam is Europe’s biggest port for the import of crude oil and one of the biggest in the world. Approximately half the crude oil imported via seven terminals is used by the five refineries (Shell, BP, Esso, Kuwait Petroleum, Koch) within the port complex. The other half is transported by pipeline to five refineries in Vlissingen (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Gelsenkirchen and Godorf/Wesseling (Germany).
The five Rotterdam plants form one of the biggest refinery complexes in the world, with a processing capacity of approximately 1.15 million barrels a day. (= approx. 58 million tonnes a year). In the short term, capacity will remain fairly constant, whereas this is on the increase elsewhere, for example in India and China. Like the growth of ports in general, the refining capacity is also an indication of the development of the economy it serves. The mature Western European economy is growing slowly but steadily, environmental regulations are constantly being tightened and demand is shifting to lighter products.
Continual investment is therefore being made in order to keep the Rotterdam refineries up to standard from a commercial and an environmental point of view. Investment of at least € 2 billion is planned for the coming years. In combination with Rotterdam’s logistic advantage of its sea location, general expectations for the coming decades are therefore positive.
The metric tonne is a measure of weight used in most ports. The ‘barrel’ has a capacity of 159 litres and is used in oil production and processing. A barrel is the equivalent of almost 0.14 metric tonnes, a million tonnes is approximately 7.3 million barrels.
Loss of unloading capacity at the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal due to a collision at the beginning of 2007 continues to be well compensated for by making more use of other jetties.
Nevertheless, a number of tankers are still sailing straight to the refinery in Vlissingen (Flushing). This means that throughput could have been even higher had the second MOT jetty been available.
Throughput figures for the first half of 2008 for all types of cargo, together with the financial half-year figures for the Port of Rotterdam Authority, will be presented on 19 August 2008.
Perspective
Growth in the second quarter is virtually the same as that in the first quarter. From an historical perspective, the absolute volume of oil is at a high but not unusual level: in the past 15 years, imports fluctuated between 94 and 102 million tonnes. The variable with the greatest impact was and is macro-economic development in Benelux and Germany. In addition, a role is also played by the refining margin, the difference between the price of crude oil and products made from it such as petrol and kerosene.
Rotterdam Oil Complex
Rotterdam is Europe’s biggest port for the import of crude oil and one of the biggest in the world. Approximately half the crude oil imported via seven terminals is used by the five refineries (Shell, BP, Esso, Kuwait Petroleum, Koch) within the port complex. The other half is transported by pipeline to five refineries in Vlissingen (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Gelsenkirchen and Godorf/Wesseling (Germany).
The five Rotterdam plants form one of the biggest refinery complexes in the world, with a processing capacity of approximately 1.15 million barrels a day. (= approx. 58 million tonnes a year). In the short term, capacity will remain fairly constant, whereas this is on the increase elsewhere, for example in India and China. Like the growth of ports in general, the refining capacity is also an indication of the development of the economy it serves. The mature Western European economy is growing slowly but steadily, environmental regulations are constantly being tightened and demand is shifting to lighter products.
Continual investment is therefore being made in order to keep the Rotterdam refineries up to standard from a commercial and an environmental point of view. Investment of at least € 2 billion is planned for the coming years. In combination with Rotterdam’s logistic advantage of its sea location, general expectations for the coming decades are therefore positive.
The metric tonne is a measure of weight used in most ports. The ‘barrel’ has a capacity of 159 litres and is used in oil production and processing. A barrel is the equivalent of almost 0.14 metric tonnes, a million tonnes is approximately 7.3 million barrels.