Rotterdam said 8m containers had been handled up to the end of September, 13% more than in the same period last year and putting the 10m target well within reach. At the same time container volume rose 8m tons or 11% to a good 77m tons. Last year the port handled 9.7m TEU and 94.8m tons.

Overall handling in the first nine months of this year rose 6.2% to 301m tons with booming Asia-Europe trade fuelling the increase with growth figures of 20% and more on some routes.

Acknowledging the congestion that has plagued the port in recent years, particularly on inland and feeder handling services, the port said, 'There are still some bottlenecks in outgoing trade, mainly during peak times.' But it noted that new capacity is already being deployed, or will be very soon, to deal with this.

Officials single out the planned new Rotterdam World Gateway in operation from 2013, overspill capacity at Maasvlakte for trucks, the new Betuwe rail link and the Delta Barge Feeder terminal. They also noted updated computer capability at main terminal operator ECT, which handled most of the port’s containers.

By Tom Todd