Container throughput at the port of Rotterdam, which handles about a third of all containers transshipped through northern European hubs, revived growth in the third quarter, despite the almost complete cessation of container trade with Russia.
In July-September the port handled 3.72 million TEU. This is 2% more than in the previous quarter, the gap from the previous year has decreased from almost -7% to -4.5%.
The volumes of container cargo transshipment in weight terms amounted to 35.75 million tons in the third quarter. This is 8% less than a year earlier, but in the previous quarter, the gap was one and a half times greater (more than -12%).
The report by the Port Authority notes that the decrease in container throughput is caused by the Ukrainian crisis and the loss of container trade with Russia, which previously accounted for about 8% of the total container throughput of the port. The slowdown in decline is due to the gradual reduction in congestion levels and the revival of supply chains.
The total cargo turnover of the port in the first nine months amounted to 351 million tons, which is a fraction of a percent more than a year earlier. At the same time, the structure of cargo turnover is undergoing significant changes amid the sanctions against Russia and changes in the structure of the global energy flows. The port has sharply increased the volumes of coal and LNG transshipment, while the turnover of oil products, agribulk and metallurgical cargos, on the contrary, is significantly lower when compared with the levels of a year earlier.