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Rotterdam first half box volume up 1.6pc to 6 million TEU

ROTTERDAM, Europe's biggest container port, posted a 1.6 per cent first half box volume increase to six million TEU year on year, driven by higher volumes on Asian and North American routes.

In the second quarter, Rotterdam's volume was up 3.3 per cent at 3.1 million TEU, reported Genoa's Medi Telegraph.

Overall traffic increased 0.6 per cent in the first six months to 221.1 million tonnes. Rotterdam said first half deep-sea container volume increased 3.2 per cent year on year because of stronger growth on the Asia-Europe and transatlantic trade routes and imports from South America.

Feeder traffic fell 4.7 per cent, because of losses to the Port of Hamburg last year, but began to pick up again from the beginning of 2014, particularly on UK and Baltic Sea routes, said the port authority statement.

First half volume at the Port of Antwerp, Europe's third-largest container hub, rose 2.9 per cent year on year to 4.42 million TEU. More will be known when Hamburg reports its second-quarter figures, said the Medi-Telegraph.

Hamburg, the No 2 port after Rotterdam, closed on its rival in the first quarter, with volume rising eight per cent to 2.4 million TEU.

Said the port authority: "The focus is on creating efficient logistics processes between the existing and new container terminals on Maasvlakte 1 and 2 through means of the Maasvlakte Container Logistics project.

"The Port Authority is focused on the development of the hinterland. A lot of attention is given to rail. The Port Authority is steering towards applying IT and implementing chain efficiency in the inland sector," said the statement.