The Netherlands:
Growth in spite of economic pessimism

	Value Park Terneuzen. PHOTO: PORT OF ZEELAND

The Netherlands defends its position as the transport hub of Europe. Cargo turnover in the ports reached 435 million tonnes last year, up 2.6 per cent compared to 2001. Rotterdam handled the lion share. Measured in cargo turnover, the Dutch port is the second largest in the world.

According to statistics from Nationale Havenraad, the total cargo turnover in the Dutch ports reached 434.4 million tons last year, en increase by 10.8 million tons compared to 2001.
The ports in the Rotterdam region handled 328.9 million tons, up 2.3 per cent. In the Amsterdam region, cargo turnover increased by 3.1 per cent to 70.4 million tons.
The significant in-balance between incoming and outgoing cargo remains. Last year outgoing cargo represented just 24 per cent of the total volume handled in the Dutch ports.
For the port of Rotterdam, the year 2002 started with an out-look that became more and more pessimistic in light of the world economy development.
However, the second half of 2002 turned out to be very good. In fact, container and oil products volumes reached the highest levels ever and the port reports a total cargo turnover of 322.1 million tons for the full year. This is an improvement by 2.4 per cent compared to 2001 and the volume handled almost reached the all-time-high result of 2000.
Container throughput increased by 7 per cent to 6.5 million TEU and transhipment of oil products rose by impressive 27 per cent to 35.5 million tons, while crude oil shipments decreased by 2.3 per cent.
Russia is one of the main sources for transhipment of naptha and fuel oil. The products are transported on smaller tankers from Russia to Rotterdam, where the cargoes are loaded on larger vessels bound for Singapore and the high-demand markets in Asia.
Handling of agricultural bulk cargoes were down significantly by 16.3 per cent to 9.4 million tons partly due to low grain prices in Europe and high demand for Thai tapioca in China.

Continuing growth
The ports in the Amsterdam region show a continuing and impressive growth.
Last year ended with a 3.1 per cent increase to 70.4 million tons, in spite of fewer calls by seagoing vessels (a drop by 780 to 8,849). As in Rotterdam, the port of Amsterdam also saw a significant 9 per cent increase in oil products, and transhipments ended at 14.4 million tons. Handling of fertilisers grew by 64 per cent while coal transhipments dropped by 3 per cent.
The port of Amsterdam is climbing fast on the world port top list. Today it ranks as number 17 in the world, and Hamburg is the only port with faster growth rate in Northwest Europe. The added value has increased by 33 per cent in the last five years to EUR 5.02 million and direct and in-direct employment has grown 15 per cent to 69,500 jobs.
Port management has no intention to slow down and focus is set on container transhipments, a sector, which at present is a small contributor to the port’s turn over.
The container line NYK’s acquisition of the Ceres Paragon Terminal will be highly important in this respect. For 2003, port management predicts “a sizeable growth” in spite of a weak economic development in general.
The Port of Zeeland, comprising the ports of Terneuzen and Vlissingen (Flushing), is maybe small by Dutch standards, but a cargo turnover last year of 26.7 million tons puts it in the same league as European ports like Lübeck, Valencia, Dublin, Leghorn and other medium-sized European ports.
There is an air of optimism surrounding the ports but there is also some warning signs for the future. Most importantly and although the Dutch ports have been able to fend off any consequences of the economic downturn in respect of cargo volumes, no port manager could be satisfied with the margins.

//Rolf P Nilsson

Back to SSG 12, 13 June