Coal throughput at Port of Rotterdam fell 18.4% in 1H16 compared to the same period in 2015, according to figures released by the port. Rotterdam handled 12.75 million t of coal over the six months to June, compared to 15.62 million t in 1H15.
The vast majority of this was imported coal with port seeing 12.64 million t of incoming coal shipments. Only 0.11 million t was exported.
Total dry bulk throughput was down 9.9% as a jump in agribulk handling helped to offset falls in coal, iron ore and scrap and other dry bulks. The port handled 39.31 million t of dry bulk commodities, down from 43.65 million t in 2015.
Despite the fall in dry bulk throughput, the port retained a leading market share in the Hamburg-Le Havre range, accounting for 38.3% of traffic in 1Q16.
“Overall this means that, given the current difficult macro-economic circumstances, Rotterdam’s port business community is performing well compared to companies in competing ports,” the port said in its half year results.
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.