Total cargo throughput in the Amsterdam Port Area grew faster than in any other north-western Europe port in the first half of 2006, the Port of Amsterdam said in a statement.

For the six months ended June 30, 2006, the Amsterdam Port Area, comprising the Ports of Amsterdam, Beverwijk, Velsen/IJmuiden and Zaanstad, handled 43 million metric tonnes of cargo, up 17 per cent on the same period in 2005.

The statement attributed the growth mainly to "increased transhipment of oil products, coal and shipping containers".

The Amsterdam Port Area handled a cargo increase of more than 6.4 million metric tonnes than it did the same period last year. Oil products constituted the biggest share, 2.8 million tonnes. Containers were runner up with about 1.4 million tonnes while coal occupied third place with 0.6 million tonnes.

The Port of Amsterdam grew most, with total cargo throughput hiking 20 per cent to 30 million tonnes for the first half of the year. Container traffic reached more than 134,000 TEUs, a 460 per cent jump from the same period in 2005.

In late 2005 and early 2006, three intercontinental container services that sail to and from China, Japan and South America, added Amsterdam to their sailing schedules, contributing to the phenomenal container traffic growth.

Port of Amsterdam CEO Hans Gerson said Amsterdam benefited from the growing energy market. Gasoline players, like Oiltanking and Europoint, expanded local storage capacity and multinational tank terminal operator Koninklijke Vopak NV intended to build a new oil terminal in Amsterdam.

"The construction of this new oil terminal and expansions of storage capacity will further strengthen Amsterdam's strong hub function in the gasoline market," Gerson said.