Issue link: http://hub.jocdigital.com/i/860137
www.joc.com THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE 19 TOP 50 CONTAINER PORTS SPECIAL REPORT THE EUROPEAN WATERFRONT faces fresh challenges that could result in significant changes in the years ahead. The port of Rot terdam has con- solidated its position as the continent's leading container port after several years of sluggish growth that saw its close rivals, particularly second-ranked Antwerp, steadily narrow the gap. Rotterdam's container traffic surged 9.3 percent in the first half of 2017 to just short of 6.7 million TEU. The recent global shipping alliance shakeup helped to usher the port's revival. The three alliances — 2M, THE Alliance and Ocean Alliance — decided to focus their transshipment operations in Rotterdam. "Rot terdam has been frequently included in the (alliance) schedules as the first or last port of call because vessels can arrive or leave here fully laden, which is not always the case in other ports," the port authority said. "Given its location on the coastline ROTTERDAM OUTPACES EUROPEAN RIVALS But Antwerp, Hamburg aren't letting up fight By Bruce Barnard