Throughput of Rotterdam port down 13.4% to 185 mln t in H1 09

In the first half of 2009, 185 million tonnes of goods were handled in the port of Rotterdam, 13.4% down on the same period of 2008. Exports fell by 4.6% to 54 million tonnes, imports by 16.6% to 131 million tonnes. Bulk cargo throughput was down by 12.4% to 128 million tonnes. Results for general cargo were 15.5% lower, at 57 million tonnes. Only the handling of mineral oil products showed an increase, up by 17% or 5 million tonnes, to over 35 million tonnes. All other categories of goods were way down: agribulk (-19%), ores and scrap (-61%), coal (-14%), other dry bulk (-28%), crude oil (-4%), other liquid bulk (-20%), roll on/roll off (-14%), other general cargo (-27%) and containers (-15%). Expressed in figures, container throughput fell by 15% to 4.6 million TEU (20-foot units).