The Covid-19 outbreak may have a lasting impact on the port of Rotterdam. Fewer container ships are arriving from China and goods are being transported less in general. Normally, almost half of all containers in the port arrive from Asia or are shipped to the continent.
Deglobalisation
Companies want to become less dependent on China and move toward producing goods closer to home. Bart Kuipers, port economist at the Erasmus Centre for Urban, Port and Transport Economics, says the corona crisis calls attention to the vulnerabilities in the global supply chain. Kuipers expects that companies will rely less and less on production further away abroad and will aim to spread their suppliers.
The growth in the number of containers has halted as well, states Kuipers. The harbor will of course keep exporting goods which are in demand, but the corona crisis will further reduce the container handling at the port.