Big increase in Dutch and German trade in May at Port of Rotterdam

Port of Rotterdam

There was a big increase in both Dutch and German imports and exports in May. According to Statistics Netherlands, Dutch volume was almost 9% up on the previous year.

In April, growth was almost 6% and in March over 3%. The volume of imports rose in May by almost 7%. That is comparable to the growth in April.

The sharp rise in both imports and exports is largely due to the increased trade in mineral fuels such as petroleum products. According to Statistics Netherlands, export conditions have now deteriorated.

That applies mainly to imports to other EU countries. As in previous months, exports to non-EU countries increased much more strongly in May than those to EU Member States.

The value of goods exports increased by over 7% in May, to ??36.9 billion, compared to May 2011, which actually had an extra working day.

The import value rose by almost 7% to ??33.3 billion. The import and export value of feedstock and mineral fuels was considerably higher than a year earlier.

In May, Germany’s exports were 3.9% up on the previous month. Imports were 6.3% higher than in April. The growth in both trade flows was much stronger than expected.

Economists predicted an average growth in exports of 0.4% and expected a 1.2% increase in imports. In April, Germany’s exports fell by 1.7%. Imports were almost 5% down that month. < Korea Shipping Gazette >