Throughput in the port of Rotterdam decreased by 4.1% in the first half of 2025. This brought the total throughput to 211.0 million tonnes. The largest decline was in dry bulk (-8.9%) and liquid bulk (-5.3%) segments. Container throughput showed growth of 2.7% in TEU.

In terms of tonnage, the container segment showed a decline of 1.0%. The lack of investment in the industry by the market is a cause for concern for the Port Authority. Although the government has taken positive steps recently to bring the playing field for Dutch industry more in line with that of neighbouring countries, additional measures are necessary. The announced closure of a number of chemical companies, and with it the loss of hundreds of jobs in the first half of 2025, confirms these concerns. The Port Authority’s financial results and investments show stable development.

Weakened competitive position of European industry remains a cause for concern

• Cargo throughput decreased by 4.1%
• Container throughput increased in TEU (2.7%) and decreased in tonnage (1.0%)
• Investments in industry lag behind due to lack of favourable conditions
• Port Authority continues developing a resilient and safe port
• Operating result for Port of Rotterdam Authority stable

Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of Port of Rotterdam Authority: “In recent months, we as a port have been confronted with economic uncertainties, lagging investments, and disruptions in supply chains. In these turbulent times, as a port, we must ensure that the security of supply of energy, food, and other essential materials in Europe remains guaranteed. It is also very important that industry in the port remains competitive so as not to weaken Europe’s strategic autonomy.”

Making ports and industry more sustainable

Despite the challenging economic conditions, a large number of projects are underway to create a future-proof port with net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The construction of infrastructure is necessary for making society and industry more sustainable. Much progress has been made in this area during the first half of the year, including continuing construction of the Porthos CCS project. The construction of the land pipeline has been completed and work has now started on the offshore infrastructure. The former gas production platform in the North Sea is being converted for the injection of CO2 for permanent storage in gas fields under the North Sea. Porthos is expected to be operational in 2026.

Another important part of the energy transition is the installation of shore power. On 31 March, 2025, Cruise Port Shore Power’s shore-power system at the Holland Amerikakade officially entered operation. This means that Cruise Port Shore Power is staying ahead of European regulations, which stipulate that cruise ships in European ports must use shore power by 2030. The shore-power system for cruise ships is a unique sustainability project realized at the interface of city and port. Cruise Port Shore Power expects 75% of cruise ships in Rotterdam to connect to the shore-power system in the first year.

City and port

In March of this year, Portlantis, the port experience centre was officially opened by Mayor Schouten. Since opening to the public on 22 March, Portlantis has welcomed 25,000 visitors. Besides, 8,000 pupils and students were introduced to the port in an interactive way. The Port Authority also aims to reach young people through a partnership with the Jeugdeducatiefonds (Youth Education Fund). Until 2028, Port of Rotterdam Authority will support the Youth Education Fund with volunteers and a contribution of €150,000 per year to improve the development opportunities of children growing up in poverty in Rotterdam South.

Safety and resilience

The security situation around the world has deteriorated in recent times. The Netherlands is therefore strengthening its defence, and this will be noticeable in many places across the country in the coming years. The port of Rotterdam is also preparing to contribute to this. The port plays an important role as a logistics hub for Europe and wants to be able to support defence logistics when necessary. This support requires space, mooring and transshipment capacity from the port to enable the handling of ships and transportation of goods to the hinterland by rail, road, and water. It is also possible that exercises will take place more frequently in the port.

The digital threat to the port of Rotterdam remains as serious as ever. In 2025, there were no incidents affecting critical systems, but a robust cybersecurity strategy remains crucial. Port of Rotterdam Authority is working with partners to ensure a safe and resilient digital infrastructure. Since the beginning of the year, the FERM Foundation has been transformed into a national platform that acts as a coordinator, connector, and advocate for the five seaports of national importance. Structural cooperation with government agencies and chain partners is increasing the resilience of crucial digital processes. This joint approach is essential at a time when geopolitical tensions and stricter regulations require a higher level of digital preparedness.

Drones are increasingly being used by companies and government agencies in the port to support their business processes. This is causing the airspace above the port area to become increasingly congested. To manage this growth effectively, the Port Authority has been conducting tests with the digital airspace management system for several years. This prototype not only provides support in coordinating both unmanned and manned air traffic, but also offers possibilities for security against unwanted drone use.

Investments and financials

Port of Rotterdam Authority has had a stable financial half-year. The Port Authority’s revenues rose by 5.2% in the first half of the year to €462.3 million. In terms of contract revenues (3.8%), this is mainly due to inflation and a balance of various new and expiring contracts. Port dues rose by 5.4% in 2025. This is partly due to indexation and partly the effect of a lower call size, which leads to a higher price per tonne. Additionally, the gross rates and various discounts have been adjusted. Operating expenses increased by €19.4 million. This is mainly due to an increase of €7.0 million in personnel costs as a result of a Collective Bargaining Agreement change in 2024 and €11.2 million in operating expenses. Operating expenses will increase partly due to changes in the IT capitalization policy in 2025. This is leading to an increase in operating costs and a decrease in investments. Additionally, the prices of many of the contracts are higher due to indexation.

Photo: Martens Multimedia

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 1.1% to €295.0 million. 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 declined by €4.7 million to €143.6 million. Due to the change in the processing of IT costs, there will be higher costs in 2025 compared to last year. Additionally, in 2024, the tax burden was lower once due to application of the energy investment deduction. The Port Authority has invested €136.1 million so far in 2025, which is 17% less than in the same period last year. This is partly due to a timing difference in project realization and a one-time acquisition of nitrogen rights in 2024.

Throughput

Dry bulk

The throughput of dry bulk cargo has fallen by 8.9% this year. The throughput of agribulk rose by 18.6%. This segment is always strongly influenced by global demand and harvests. In the first few months of this year, there was a sharp increase in imports of oilseeds such as soybeans, soybean meal, and rapeseed. This led to a sharp increase in Dutch imports. The supply of iron ore and scrap fell by 12.2%. This is linked to lower production in the German steel industry which is influenced by ongoing economic uncertainty and trade restrictions. Coal throughput decreased by 21.1%. This was mainly due to lower supplies of coking coal, which is used in blast furnaces for steel production.

Liquid bulk

The liquid bulk segment declined by 5.3% to 96.2 million tonnes. The throughput of crude oil increased by 2.6% to 50.1 million tonnes due to increased transport to German refineries. The throughput of mineral products showed a decline of 21.5% and 6.2 million tonnes. There are a multitude of reasons, which contribute to a reduction in throughput. The market has mainly been in ‘backwardation’, which makes storage unprofitable. Arbitrage between regions has been limited, making (spot) transport less attractive. LNG throughput increased by 9.0% as gas stocks in Europe continued to be replenished during the summer. The throughput of other liquid bulk cargo fell by 5.9%. This is mainly due to lower supplies of biodiesel from China as a result of anti-dumping duties and reduced use of palm oil as a raw material for biodiesel production in Europe.

Containers and breakbulk

Container throughput rose by 2.7% in TEU to 7.0 million TEU in the first half of 2025. The growth in TEU can be explained by the upturn in European consumption. As a result, imports from Asia increased by 8.4%. Throughput to and from North America increased by 9.1%. The main reason for this is the increase in the number of services since the alliance structure was changed in February of this year. Expressed in tonnes, container throughput fell by 1.0% to 66.5 million tonnes. This decrease can be explained by the fact that more empty export containers were shipped. The number of full export containers has decreased by 5%. This decline can be explained by the continuing weak competitive position of European industry. Total throughput in the breakbulk segment (Roll-on/Roll-off and other breakbulk) increased by 1.3% to 16.0 million tonnes. RoRo throughput increased by 0.9% to 12.9 million tonnes. Volumes to and from the United Kingdom have not yet recovered from the sluggish economy. The second quarter does show cautious signs of recovery. Other general cargo increased by 3.0% to 3.2 million tonnes. This increase was partly due to the delivery of offshore wind foundations, steel pipes for the Porthos project, and an increase in the throughput of steel plates for the offshore industry.

Busy container handling

The port of Rotterdam has faced exceptional congestion in the handling of container flows this year. Various causes, such as the transition to new sailing schedules (phasing in and out of services), high call sizes, changing alliances, work interruptions, and challenging weather conditions at the beginning of the year have led to increasing waiting times on the land side of the deep-sea terminal operations. As a result, the inland shipping sector and road transport in particular are experiencing longer waiting times than usual. The situation on the sea side is under control: The number of large container ships waiting is very limited. The reliability of the sailing schedules has improved and time spent at the quay has decreased since the beginning of this year. Water levels on the Rhine and import duties imposed by the United States on exports from Europe and China have not yet had a demonstrable negative effect on container handling in the first half of the year.

The arrival of more than 100 container ships with a call size exceeding 12,000 TEU this half year underscores the urgency of the situation. Solutions to make the entire system more efficient and resilient must be sought in structural cooperation within the chain. Port of Rotterdam Authority is in constant dialogue with all parties in the logistics container chain about this. One of the structural changes being discussed is the smarter use of existing infrastructure, for example by shifting more road transport to off-peak hours, bundling and exchanging containers on so-called inland waterway corridors, and sharing data via digital platforms.

Port Authority calls on politicians to maintain focus on improving the investment climate for industry

The highly integrated industrial cluster of the Port of Rotterdam makes an important contribution to the security of supply of energy, raw materials, and goods. However, the current investment climate in the Netherlands means that companies are increasingly postponing or cancelling their investments, including those in sustainability, despite the Rotterdam port’s good starting position. At the same time, production is increasing in countries outside Europe, where conditions are more favourable.

The government has recently taken steps to level the playing field for Dutch industry with neighbouring countries. For example, the plastic levy has been scrapped and the Indirect Cost Compensation ETS (IKC-ETS) subsidy scheme has been reinstated. Additionally, a correction factor of 1.0 has been announced for the use of renewable hydrogen in refineries. This makes the use of green hydrogen more attractive for large-scale users. The government is also looking into suspending the Dutch CO2 tax. Despite these positive measures, Dutch industry is severely hampered by nitrogen issues, grid congestion, high energy costs, and high net tariffs compared to neighbouring countries. Port of Rotterdam Authority will therefore continue to highlight the importance of the industry for strategic autonomy, earning capacity, and high-quality employment in the Netherlands.
Source: Port of Rotterdam