---

Liquid bulk throughput at the port of Rotterdam fell by 0.5 percent to 223.5 million tonnes in 2016, according to data provided by Port of Rotterdam Authority.

Fuel oil throughput at Europe's leading bunker port also declined last year, whilst more gas oil, diesel, kerosene, petrol and naphtha was handled, the port said.

Throughput of crude oil declined by 1.2 percent to 101.858 million tonnes, down from 103.090 million tonnes the previous year. Although refinery margins fell slightly, crude oil input levels were said to have been "at the upper end of the historical spectrum".

Following a rise of 18.0 percent in 2015, more oil products were handled again in Rotterdam last year as the figure increased by 0.3 percent to 88 million tonnes.

The volume of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that was handled last year dropped by 26.1 percent to 1.705 million tonnes, down from 2.308 million tonnes in 2015, following an increase of more than 90 percent in 2015. This was said to be because the global market saw less arbitrage relating to LNG pricing.

The 'other liquid bulk' category rose by 1.5 percent to 31.195 million tonnes, up from the previous year's figure of 30.746 million tonnes.

Other categories

Total throughput in Rotterdam fell by 1.1 percent from 466.363 million tonnes to 461.177 million tonnes in 2016. The fall was largely attributed to dry bulk, such as ores and coal.

Throughput of ores and scrap fell by 7.8 percent to 31.2 million tonnes, while the amount of coal handled declined by 7.3 percent to 28.4 million tonnes.

The volume of containers handled last year rose by 1.2 percent to 12.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

.