Do the Growth Figures Prove Rotterdam Right?

After a decline in 2016, the Port of Rotterdam has shown a strong recovery in the first quarter of 2017 for container sea freight—marking the best quarter ever recorded. March alone was a record-breaking month. The growth comes at a critical time: following widespread pessimism about the new terminals, and the increasing preference of shipping lines for Antwerp, expectations for 2017 are now high. Rotterdam is set to outperform its southern neighbors in container growth this year.

Above-Average Growth

In the past quarter, Rotterdam’s container sector grew significantly:

• Volume increased by 8.8% to 3.3 million TEU

• Total weight rose by 10.8% to 34.3 million tonnes

This growth clearly exceeds the market average.

The APM Terminals Maasvlakte 2, which opened in 2015, played a key role—re-attracting transshipment cargo that had previously shifted to other ports.
Additionally, feeder volume jumped by 22.4%, reinforcing Rotterdam’s position as an emerging central hub for container transport.

Strategic Advantage: New Far East Schedules

A major reason behind this resurgence is the favorable new sailing schedules from the Far East, implemented since April 1.

While European ports are fiercely competing for container traffic:

• Zeebrugge is slowly fading

• Hamburg is struggling

• Bremerhaven has not capitalized on the situation

The Maasvlakte 2 Bet: Was Rotterdam Right?

When Maasvlakte 2 was being built, Rotterdam projected double-digit growth.
Antwerp scoffed, saying:
"Laying out space is one thing, filling it is another."

Now, as container volumes climb, the question remains:
Who was right?