AMSTERDAM: Rotterdam became the first European port since the start of the economic crisis in 2008 to handle more than 3 million TEU (20-foot container units) going to or coming from China.
Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein announced this during the first quarterly meeting of the Rotterdam Port Promotion Council (RPPC). At the meeting he analysed the throughput figures for 2014 and indicated trends for a large group of port entrepreneurs.
In 2008, Hamburg in northern Germany still handled the most ‘China containers’ of 2.6 million against Rotterdam’s 2.2 million. The German port suffered greatly during the crisis of 2008, whereas Rotterdam’s throughput only declined moderately.
