Port of Rotterdam remains resilient in an uncertain world

Total throughput at the port of Rotterdam rose by 0.4% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. This brought total throughput to 212.0 million tonnes. The dry bulk segment rose by 1.7%. The throughput of liquid bulk also increased by 2.4%. There was a dip in throughput in the container and breakbulk segments. Container throughput fell by 0.1% TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) or 2.6% tonnes. Breakbulk fell by 1.1%. The previous six months were defined by much uncertainty. Although the port of Rotterdam continued to operate resiliently due to its scale, infrastructure and diversity of freight flows, the developments demonstrated the importance of investments in energy security, sustainable alternatives and the flexibility of supply chains. Financially, the first half of the year was stable with a net result of 144.8 million euros. The Port of Rotterdam Authority's investments totalled 126.0 million euros in the first six months.

Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority: ‘The war in the Persian Gulf has drastic humanitarian consequences for people in the region. In addition, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz makes it clear how closely connected global trade and energy flows are. Although direct impact on the operations and throughput in the port of Rotterdam has so far been limited, the higher energy prices and increasing uncertainty has rocked the international market. The events highlight the importance of robust supply chains and a strong European energy infrastructure. The port of Rotterdam has proved itself to be resilient and reliable in the face of challenging circumstances. That's not only crucial for the position of the port but also for the resilience of the Netherlands and Europe.’

Making ports and industry more sustainable

In cooperation with the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Port of Rotterdam Authority has taken a new step towards making the port and city more sustainable. In addition to the realisation of a shore power installation for cruise ships at Wilhelminakade, vessels that dock at Parkkade in the city can now also connect to shore power. This results in cleaner air, less carbon emissions and reduced noise pollution for the neighbourhood.
Another milestone was achieved with the completion of the first part of the national hydrogen network, which was symbolically activated by His Majesty the King in Rotterdam. Via the 32 kilometre long pipeline between the Maasvlakte and Pernis, hydrogen can be transported from hydrogen plants on the Maasvlakte to industry customers. In the coming years, the network will be expanded to other industrial regions and connected to storage sites and hydrogen networks in Germany and Belgium.
In May, the port of Rotterdam achieved a milestone in its alternative fuel bunkering ambitions with the first ethanol bunkering of a seagoing vessel. The successful use of an ethanol-methanol fuel mix demonstrates the potential for alternatives fuels to increase the sustainability of shipping and strengthens Rotterdam’s position as a leading bunkering port for renewable fuels.

City and port

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is encouraged by the new Rotterdam coalition agreement, presented on 26 June 2026 by PRO, D66, VVD, CDA and Volt. The agreement is well-aligned with our own ambition to achieve a competitive, resilient, circular and climate-neutral port by 2050. In order to stimulate the necessary private investments, key bottlenecks must be resolved, which include nitrogen restrictions and grid congestion. The Port of Rotterdam Authority looks forward to working closely with the new municipal executive to implement the agreement.
To further strengthen the relationship between the port and its surroundings and to foster more mutual understanding, transparency and engagement, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is intensifying its dialogues with residents living in the port area. On 1 June, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Deltalinqs kicked off the initiative De Havendialoog (The Port Dialogue). Towns, villages and neighbourhoods in and around the port face major challenges related to housing, accessibility and the environment. De Havendialoog offers residents and companies the opportunity to openly discuss these topics. The meetings are held every six months, in collaboration with municipalities, DCMR, Safety Region Rotterdam-Rijnmond and companies in the port. The first series took place in June and July 2026 at various locations around the port of Rotterdam and attracted considerable interest from local residents.

Safety and resilience

In the port of Rotterdam, companies, emergency services and governments are making increasing use of drones for tasks such as inspections, security, measurements, environmental monitoring, supervision and incident management. Drones are therefore becoming a more essential part of the daily operations of the port. This development calls for a safe and well-organised low air space. To realise this, in late June, the Port of Rotterdam Authority submitted a request to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management to designate a Pre-U space over the port area. The Pre-U-space is a preparatory phase towards a fully-fledged U-space and focuses on the registration, access policy and authorisation of drone flights. This marks the start of a formal process to achieve a better regulated low airspace.

Ferm Zeehavens, the cybersecurity platform for Dutch seaports of national importance, has taken a significant step towards strengthening the digital resilience of the Port of Rotterdam. In collaboration with a Dutch start-up, Ferm has developed an innovative digital ‘cyber shield’ that continuously monitors systems accessible via the internet and identifies vulnerabilities at an early stage. More than fifteen critical organisations and thousands of systems are now being actively monitored for known and new vulnerabilities. This development comes at a crucial time. On 7 July, the Senate approved the Cybersecurity Act (Cbw) and the Critical Entities Resilience Act (Wwke), with which the Netherlands is implementing the EU NIS2 and CER Directives. From 15 August 2026, hundreds of companies in the port will be subject to new cybersecurity obligations, including registration, a duty of care and the reporting of significant cyber incidents. This further highlights the importance of collective digital resilience. Recently, a secure environment was set up where member organisations can proactively share incident and threat information with the Ferm Zeehavens network.

Investments and financials

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has had a stable financial half-year. The Port Authority’s revenues rose by 3.2% to 477.0 million euros. Both contract revenues and port dues have risen, mainly as a result of indexation.
Operating expenses increased by 10.9 million euros to 178.2 million euros. In this case, this is also primarily related to price increases of contracts due to pre-agreed indexation and pay rises as a result of the CBA change in 2025. In addition, there is a one-time restructuring expense.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 1.3% to 298.8 million euros. This amount is the yardstick for the Port Authority’s capacity to continue investing in the development of the port industrial complex through its own balance sheet.
Net income rose by 0.9% and 1.2 million euros to 144.8 million euros.
The Port Authority invested 126.0 million euros in the first half of 2026. That is 7% less than in the same period last year. This is mainly because more capital was injected into Porthos in 2025 than in 2026.

Throughput

Dry bulk

The throughput of dry bulk rose by 1.7% in the first half of 2026. The throughput of iron ore and scrap decreased by 8.3%. Iron ore throughput fell by 9.6% in the first half of 2026 compared to the previous year. Although German steel production increased, this did not lead to higher throughput volumes, as steel producers drew on their existing stocks. Scrap throughput rose by 6.1% in the first half of 2026, mainly due to growth in electric steel production in key markets outside the EU. Egypt, in particular, was an important export market.
Coal throughput increased by 17.8% in the first half of 2026. The increase is mainly attributable to a recovery in the throughput of coking coal from the exceptionally low level recorded in 2025. In addition, thermal coal throughput was higher than the previous year, partially due to the relatively high gas prices caused by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
In the first half of 2026, agribulk throughput was 14.2% lower than a year earlier, totalling approximately 4.9 million tonnes. This decline follows an exceptionally strong 2025 and reflects, among other things, reduced import demand due to the greater availability of agribulk in Europe.
The throughput of other dry bulk increased by 18.5% in the first six months. This growth was largely due to the recovery of construction sector activities in the Netherlands. This led to a higher demand for raw materials for construction projects. In addition, stockpiling and shifts in trade flows resulted in additional volumes.

Liquid bulk

Liquid bulk throughput increased by 2.4% in the first six months. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused prices of crude oil and mineral oil products to rise, leading to higher refining margins. As a result of these high refining margins, and in order to compensate for the loss of oil product imports, European refineries have started to import and process more crude oil. These factors have caused a 1.6% increase in crude oil throughput. The throughput of oil products increased by 11.5% to 25 million tonnes. Imports dropped by 9% and exports rose by 36%. Exports increased due to greater exports of fuel oil to Singapore and gas oil to Gibraltar and Spain. The latter is related to the introduction of the Emission Control Area (ECA) in the Mediterranean Sea last year. In this area, only bunker fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1% can be used, which has led to increased demand for marine gas oil.
The throughput of LNG increased by 1.7% to 6.4 million tonnes due to less imports. Exports increased, mainly due to greater use of LNG as a marine fuel.
The throughput of other liquid bulk fell by 5.9%. This is mainly due to a significant decline in the throughput of chemical products. The chemical industry in Europe is still struggling due to high energy prices, lack of demand and heavy competition from outside of Europe. In almost all of Europe, chemical production is lower than last year, which means there is less demand for raw materials and lower exports of end products.

Containers and breakbulk

Container throughput showed a decrease of 0.1% in TEU, which is comparable to last year. In terms of tonnage, throughput decreased by 2.6% to 98.5 million tonnes. The deepsea volume grew by 5.2% in TEU because import volumes from Asia rose by 8%. Exports of full containers decreased by 1%. This created a further imbalance and the throughput in tonnage fell more significantly than in TEU. Throughput to and from North America increased by 13% due to an increase in a number of services. The transhipment volume decreased by 20% due to a lack of capacity in Rotterdam. As a result, overall there was no growth in container throughput in the first half of the year. From the end of this year, extra capacity will be made available at several container terminals, meaning there will once again be room for growth in the container sector in Rotterdam.
Direct container traffic to and from countries on the Persian Gulf accounts for 1% of the total container volume. Following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, new routes were established fairly quickly via ports not situated on the Persian Gulf. The negative consequences for the port of Rotterdam have therefore been limited.

RoRo throughput increased by 1% to 13 million tonnes. This is the result of an increase in demand for goods in the United Kingdom.
Other breakbulk fell by 9.5% as a result of stagnation in the European manufacturing industry, particularly in the machinery and automotive sectors. Aluminium throughput, in particular, is lower than usual. The tougher sanctions on Russian cargo are also having an impact.

Port of Rotterdam Authority underlines the importance of a proactive approach to tackling bottlenecks in the investment climate

In order to boost the investment climate in the Port of Rotterdam, a number of major bottlenecks – such as nitrogen-related issues, grid congestion, high energy costs compared with neighbouring countries and the state of Dutch infrastructure – must be resolved and addressed.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is encouraged by the package of nitrogen reduction measures recently presented by the government. The package combines nitrogen reduction and nature restoration with measures designed to make it possible to grant permits again. This offers prospects to the various sectors affected such as industry, the energy sector, logistics and the construction sector. One positive aspect is that the government explicitly sets out an area-specific approach for the Port of Rotterdam. Together with the State, the Municipality of Rotterdam and Deltalinqs, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is already working on a regional approach that should accelerate permit granting for energy and sustainability projects, in particular. It is important that there is swift political decision-making and decisive implementation, so that the necessary investments can actually get off the ground.

The condition of the Netherlands’ roads, railways and waterways is a cause for concern for the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Well-functioning infrastructure forms the basis for the logistics sector and, consequently, for safeguarding the Dutch economy’s earning capacity. This was recently confirmed by the government. The planned reprioritisation of the budget for infrastructure and the necessary maintenance and replacement of infrastructure will affect the road, waterway and rail networks that are essential to the Port of Rotterdam. Meanwhile, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is working with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management on multimodal accessibility and future investments that will support the port’s long-term competitiveness, resilience and accessibility. The Port Authority is keen to continue discussions with the government on an area-specific approach to safeguard the long-term accessibility of the port of Rotterdam and the main hinterland corridors.