Switzerland’s Rhine ports lifted around 105,000 TEU last year, thereby setting a new record for shipside container imports/exports. Together with the import/export boxes that were carried by rail, the Rhine ports’ terminals handled a total of 117,535 containers in 2013. The majority of the containers is exported or imported via the Port of Rotterdam, the company said in its press release.
Measured in terms of weight, the 2013 throughput was 5% lower than the previous year. The decline was the result of a special factor in the mineral oil sector. 2012 was favorably marked by a large increase in import volumes due to the shutdown of a Swiss refinery in Cressier NE.
The Swiss Rhine ports’ overall handling result of 6.8 million tons for 2013 was still below those in the reference periods 2009 (6.4 million tons), 2010 (6.5 million tons) and 2011 (5.7 million tons). However, the 2013 figures may still be described as favorable because they partially overshot some of those from the years 2009 to 2011, which are somewhat more comparable.