The leading weekly The Economist has identified the port of Rotterdam as a bellwether for the future of the global economy. Developments in Rotterdam serve as indicators for long-term and short-term trends worldwide: which goods will be transported, how will they be transported, people’s future working conditions, which products will be traded, and which countries will benefit most from these movements.
According to The Economist, activities in the Dutch port illustrate key trends in today’s global market, including the low price of oil, slow growth rates in China and the emerging markets, the sluggish recovery of the Eurozone and a worldwide slowdown in manufacturing and trade. In the weekly’s view, with the construction and development of Maasvlakte 2, Rotterdam also demonstrates that automation is the way forward. And the port’s reliance on wind energy to power its electric cranes is in line with the general shift away from fossil fuels – although for the time being, a share of the port’s activities will continue to involve the shipping and storage of oil and coal.
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