Longer waiting times for dry bulk carriers in Rotterdam

Congestion for dry bulk carriers in Rotterdam has increased since Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, according to maritime data analytics firm VesselsValue.

PHOTO: Average waiting times for dry bulk carriers in the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands. VesselsValue

The average waiting time for a bulker in Rotterdam shot up from 48 hours on 9 May to a peak of 186 hours on 29 June. It has since come down to 113 hours, which VesselsValue says is “very high for the time of year.”

Amid restrictions on Russian cargoes, inflows other European ports and Africa have increased substantially, particularly during April-June, it says.

Inflows from within Europe increased by 21% on the year in the second quarter, and from Africa by 72%, it says.

Europe’s coal trade with South Africa has increased to the highest level since 2014 due to renewed demand from European power utilities, it noted.

Several European countries including France, Germany, Italy, and Poland received transhipment cargoes from South Africa via Rotterdam, which is the main coal import terminal in the region.

It noted that overall dry bulk imports into northwest Europe have breached pre-pandemic levels as growth accelerated after Russia invaded Ukraine.