The volume of goods shipped through Rotterdam port rose 3.2% to 222 million tonnes in the first six months of this year, the port authority said on Wednesday.

Imports were up 1% to 115 million tonnes while exports rose 8%. The port is benefiting from trade outside the EU, the port authority said. For example, heating oil from Russia is shipped to Singapore via Rotterdam and exports to China and South America are also increasing.
‘This echoes recent reports from the national statistics office CBS which say economic growth is due to trade mainly with countries outside the EU,’ port authority director Hans Smits is quoted as saying by Nos television. He expects full year throughput to rise 1%.