Big hike in Amsterdam container traffic

For the six months ended June 30, 2006, the Amsterdam Port Area – comprising the Ports of Amsterdam, Beverwijk, Velsen/Ijmuiden and Zaanstad – handled 43 million tonnes of cargo, up 6.4 million tonnes or 17 per cent, on the same period in 2005. Oil products constituted the biggest share, at 2.8 million tonnes. Containers accounted for 1.4 million tonnes while coal occupied third place with 0.6 million tonnes.

The biggest growth in cargo throughput was at the Port of Amsterdam itself, which recorded growth of 20% to 30 million tonnes for the first half of the year. Container traffic exceeded 134,000 teu, a jump of 460 per cent from the same period in 2005.

The phenomenal growth in container traffic was largely due to three intercontinental container services – to and from China, Japan and South America – adding Amsterdam to their sailing schedules in late 2005 and early 2006.