The port of Rotterdam is set to hit the 10 million TEU mark this year for the first time, according to the president of the port authority, Hans Smits.

Smits said the port of Rotterdam will be the first non-Asian port to pass the 10 million TEU border. In combination with the boom in oil products, the 400 million tonnes throughput border is also in reach.

Rotterdam yesterday announced a 6.2 percent increase in volumes in the first nine months of the year.

Container throughput rose 13 percent from 7.1 million TEUs in the first nine months of 2006 to just over eight million TEUs for the same period this year.

This was largely a result of the Asian services, which had increased by more than 20 percent in volume.