ULCCs break Rotterdam records

In the first six months of 2010, 70 vessels in the 10,000 to 15,000 TEU category called at the port of Rotterdam. This is a third more as compared to the 52 of the first half year of 2009.

In early April one of the Ultra-Large Container Carriers realized the largest call size ever in Rotterdam: 8,053 TEU loaded and unloaded. The average amount per vessel was 4,650 TEU.

Most of the calls were made by vessels of Maersk Line: 22. In a number of cases they made a double (separate load and unload) call. After Maersk, CMA CGM (15), Hanjin (13), Cosco (11) and MSC (9) followed.

The number of calls of very large container vessels will keep rising. In June-September, at least ten more very large vessels were or are delivered for MSC, Maersk Line and CMA CGM. Most of them are deployed in a new joint Far East service of Maersk Line and CMA CGM which calls in Rotterdam on August 8 for the first time. See: Asia service with super vessels.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority publishes the throughput figures of the first half year on August 12.