Fewer and fewer Russian goods are being unloaded in Dutch seaports. This was announced by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on Tuesday announced. In the first quarter of 2023, supply fell by 80 percent compared to the first quarter of 2022. More goods arrived from other countries: 46.8 percent more goods were unloaded from the United States (US) in that period, good for a weight of 14.4 million tons.
Despite the war in Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022, until mid-2022 most goods unloaded in Dutch ports came from Russia. As of the third quarter of 2022, the US took the top spot. The diligent search for alternatives to Russian gas led to increased interest in American goods. Between 2021 and 2022, the supply of gas from the US doubled.
Many goods from the United Kingdom, Norway and China also arrived in Dutch seaports. In the first quarter of 2023, 10.8 million tons, 6.8 million tons, and 5.7 million tons were unloaded from those countries respectively.
The total arrival and departure of goods in Dutch seaports increased by 1.2 percent in 2022 compared to 2021. Although the percentage of goods unloaded increased (by 4.6 percent), the number of goods loaded in the Netherlands actually decreased by 5 .8 percent. Liquid bulk goods, such as gas and oil, were particularly unloaded. Dry bulk goods such as coal and goods in containers also entered the ports in large numbers.