2015 was a record year for Rotterdam port, with throughput rising almost 5% to 466 million tonnes, the port authority said on Friday.

The growth was almost entirely due to an increase in the shipment of crude oil and oil products. ‘The low oil price has led to higher refinery margins and that in turn has led to an increase in shipments to refineries,’ port chief Allard Castelein said.

Castelein also said he expects to reach agreement on jobs with port unions within the next eight weeks. ‘We are in talks and they are constructive,’ he said. ‘I do not expect any more strikes.’

Last week, port workers went on strike for 24 hours in support of their campaign for job guarantees.