The Russia-Ukraine conflict left Rotterdam’s cargo throughput of the year 2022 “virtually unchanged.” In a statement issued last week, the Port of Rotterdam revealed that container throughput fell by 5.5% in TEU last year.

“The war in Ukraine led to unprecedented changes in goods flows last year. At 467.4 million tonnes, total throughput in Rotterdam was almost the same (-0.3%) as in 2021,” said the port.

According to the statement, the first nine months of 2022 saw an increase in full container imports from Asia. During the same period, a large number of empty containers were shipped back due to a decline in exports.

The port says the main reason behind the decline was the sanctions targeting Russia. “Before the war, over 8% (in TEU) of Rotterdam container traffic was related to Russia. Rotterdam had a 40% market share in this traffic. These volumes all but disappeared after March,” explained the port.

A further reduction occurred in the fourth quarter, mainly attributed to the rise in inflation and lower consumption. "The consequence of all this was that the rates for container transport fell to pre-COVID levels, and ships were increasingly able to sail on time by the end of the year.”

Looking ahead, the Port of Rotterdam expects the economy of the Netherlands and Europe will stagnate in 2023. “Throughput volumes are therefore expected to decline slightly,” concluded the statement.