The amount of goods being shipped through Rotterdam port rose 0.8% this year to 433 million tonnes, the port authority said on Thursday.

Imports rose by 0.8% to 308 million tonnes, while exports rose 0.7% to 126 million tonnes. Containers, coal and bulk agricultural products accounted for most of the throughput, with container traffic rising 10%.
‘Despite the disappointing economic developments and the downturn in growth since November, this is the ninth in 10 years that we have booked growth,’ port chief Hans Smits was quoted as saying by news agency ANP.
In 2010, port throughput rose by 11% compared with 2009.
Smits said he expects the port to grow again in 2012.