Benelux box boom

摘要

Without exception, all of the major container gateways in the Benelux region have enjoyed strong growth in container throughput over the past few years. Booming imports of containerised cargo from Asia, most notably China, have put increasing pressure on existing facilities and the leading ports have struggled to keep pace with demand at times. Such an upturn in container traffic has triggered substantial investment strategies by both the public and private sectors, and terminal infrastructure in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Zeebrugge has been upgraded or is being expanded. While the balance between supply and demand will remain tight for the next few years, by the middle of the next decade it is likely that sufficient capacity will be in place to meet requirements. Rotterdam is Europe's biggest box port and seems set to retain this mantle for the foreseeable future. In 2007, the port's container throughput rose by 12% to 10.8 million TEU, an increase of 1.1 million TEU on 2006's level.