The volume of cargo handled by Rotterdam port rose just 1% in 2014 to 445 million tonnes, lower than in the competing ports of Antwerp and Amsterdam, according to figures released on Monday by the port authority.

Throughput growth figures for Antwerp and Amsterdam are estimated at 4.2% and 1.4% respectively.

‘We are happy with this small increase,’ Rotterdam port CEO Allard Castelein said in a statement. ‘We are a very large port compared with others, but we see competition from other modern ports, which is why we are concentrating on innovation and expansion.’

The total result was affected by a sharp drop in oil products handled at the port. These were down 8%, mainly because of competition from other tanker terminals and the difficult market situation in Europe.

However, the container sector grew 5.8% in volume. There was also growth in the throughput of unrefined oil, agricultural products and the transport of lorries on ships.

The port authority expects modest growth in 2015. ‘The new container terminals are starting up this year, and from 2016 there will be capacity for further growth,’ Castelein said.