zoomImage Courtesy: Port of Rotterdam

The Dutch port of Rotterdam experienced a slight increase in the total volume of cargo handled during the first quarter of 2016, as a mere 0.2 percent rise to 116.9 million tonnes was seen against the corresponding period a year earlier.

The increase in volume was mainly attributed to crude oil and oil products, offset by a more or less equivalent decrease in the volume of dry bulk and containers.

The port said that the only segment that saw considerable decline in its throughput volumes was LNG, plunging by 72.6 percent to 0.1 million tonnes, however, the LNG throughput volumes are expected to recover over the remainder of 2016.

While the throughput of liquid bulk rose by 3.3 percent to 58.4 million tonnes, the dry bulk volumes decreased by 4 percent to 21 million tonnes.

The volume of containers handled via the port decreased by 3.1%, to 31 million tonnes, and by 3.9% to 3 million TEUs as the lack of growth in this sector was mainly attributed to unfavourable economic developments in China, Russia and Brazil.

“The port’s throughput grew by 4.9% in 2015. Our ambition is to match this high throughput volume in the present year. So far we are on course – but we still have three quarters to go,” Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO, Allard Castelein, said.