The volume of freight through the Port of Rotterdam increased during the first nine months of 2011 by 1.7% to 327 million tons. Now that the world economy is cooling down,exports are stalling. Growth is expected to decrease in the fourth quarter.
Freight container throughput increased; 93 million tons were handled, 11% more than in the first nine months of 2010. Growth is almost 8%, up to 9 million TEU but is now declining due to the reduction in confidence of consumers and producers.