Dry bulk volumes plunge at Port of Rotterdam

DRY bulk volumes through the Port of Rotterdam fell 9.7% to 33.4m tonnes in the five months of this year versus a year earlier, dragged down by coal and iron ore and scrap shipments.

News ID: 65575

Date: 05 June 2016 - 11:52

According to MANA,,Coal sank 15% to 11.3m tonnes mainly due to lower demand from some Dutch power stations that are closing down due to ongoing environmental concerns about carbon emissions. Two of those plants shut earlier in the year, replaced by newer stations that can also use biomass and benefit from government subsidies.
The majority of the coal that comes into the port is shipped to Germany, where about 30m tonnes of the fuel ended up last year, while only 5m tonnes is consumed in the Netherlands, said the port’s business intelligence adviser for dry bulk and energy Hugo du Mez.
Iron ore and scrap volumes declined 12% to 12.4m tonnes in January to May this year, port statistics show. In 2015, there was an overall decline of 0.6% to 33.9m tonnes, despite a surge in scrap metal going to Turkey of 28% to 2.4m tonnes.
. In the five months this year, agriproducts rose 16% to 4.6m tonnes versus a year earlier.
Port of Rotterdam is mainly an import terminal for dry bulk cargoes able to handle valemax vessels, the only European port that can, because of its deep water and open access to the sea without the need for locks as in Amsterdam.
“There is room for more dry bulk,” Mr du Mez said in an interview at the office near the iconic Erasmus Bridge in the city. “It’s been a depressing five months.”