July 20 - The port of Rotterdam's breakbulk cargo throughput increased by 4.4 percent in the first half of 2015, compared with the same period last year.
Ro-ro traffic during the reporting period increased by 9.6 percent, which the port authority put down to the positive trend in the British economy and strong British pound.
However, other general breakbulk volumes fell by 12 percent, which the port attributed to the exceptionally high figure in the first quarter of 2014, due to the transport of cranes for the new container terminals at Maasvlakte 2.
The port's total throughput increased by 6.8 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2015, with oil products, containers and ro-ro traffic contributing most to the rise.
In the offshore sector, at the beginning of the year Rotterdam welcomed Allseas' platform installation and decommissioning vessel Pioneering Spirit to be assembled at Maasvlakte 2, which has provided and will continue to provide much work for the port.
In June, the Port of Rotterdam Authority also signed an agreement with Sif Group and Verbrugge International for the construction of an offshore wind energy production and storage terminal at the Dutch gateway.
